DizzyAGE News

[xelanoimis]

DizzyAGE is a set of tools used to create Dizzy games in the classic adventure style.
It's name stands for "Dizzy Adventure Game Engine".

The official website:
http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage

To download the latest version, read the manual or check the tutorials, visit the official website.
There you will also find a few nice fan games to play.
Your own games can be listed there, just let me know about them.
Here are a few direct links to some of the games made with DizzyAGE:

"Dizzy And The Other Side" by Alexandru Simion
http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage/dz007.html
http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage/games/dz007_img0.jpg

"Tresure Island Dizzy Classic" by Peter Teal
http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage/dz006.html
http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage/games/dz006_img0.jpg

"Dizzy And The Emerald Eye" by Peter Teal
http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage/dz003.html
http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage/games/dz003_img0.jpg

"Dizzy And The Healing Potion" by Cristina Simion
http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage/dz002.html
http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage/games/dz002_img0.jpg

"Dizzy And The Mushrooms Pie" by Alexandru and Cristina Simion
http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage/dz001.html
http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage/games/dz001_img0.jpg

If you have any questions about DizzyAGE, if you are stuck with your project,
or if you don't know where to begin, ask for help in this forum, or contact me on email,
or directly through the email sender on my website:
http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage/support.html

Also check the annual "DizzyAGE Easter Competition".
It needs both some prize sponsors and some game entries :)
So, hurry up, it closes on May 1st.
http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage/competition.html

Have fun, and we all hope to see a lot of great new Dizzy fan games!
Alex

[xelanoimis]

Hello,
DizzyAGE has become part of "The Dizzy Community" and it is now hosted on
Yolkfolk.com servers. The new address is:
http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage
Alex

[xelanoimis]

A huge wonderful adventure by Jamie Douglas.
So if you're feeling sleepy...
visit the games page start dreaming!

http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage/games.html

[xelanoimis]

DizzyAGE v2.0 beta 2nd released

http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage/beta.html

I'm wayting feedback from those with the DirectX video problem.

[delta]

is there any major differences to the 1st version in the 2nd beta version?

[xelanoimis]

It should work on DirectX for those that had problems with the first beta.
I need feedback on that.

And there's an updated setup.
And the music gets auto saved and restored, when loading a game or respawning after dead.
Read the readme.txt for more details.

If there are no more bugs to fix, this will be the v2.0.
All is left is to write the new docs :)

[Mataeus]

I only just learned about this. Is it easy to use?

[xelanoimis]

DizzyAGE 2.0 is on it's way...

I know I've been saying that for some time,
but now, the docs are ready, and they are all looking great!
Three books, I tell you... Three books!!!

All is left is to write a few small "How To?" articles,
and upgrade the website.

So, in a week or two, I hope it will be online.
(I die to start working on the rest of the "Other Side" game!)

By the way,
yesterday I presented the DizzyAGE engine
at the first romanian Game Development Conference!

I think people were all very impressed with it,
even if the latest subject were the high tech 3D games.
Most of them heard and even played the original
Dizzy games, so they new what I was talking about.

It was fun meeting other people with game dev interests
and I think the conference was a success.

Alex

[Mataeus]

I'm looking forward to getting to grips with this, the Documents will be a life saver for me as I haven't got a clue :(

Quick Question, what's the size limit (if any) on the games, with regards to objects (and the individual uses thereof), scripts, number of screens and Mb size?

The only other dev kit I've used is the elder scrolls one, which I got to grips with pretty quickly, but that's because most of the scripts you need are already in place in the game in one form or another....

Are any 'basic' scripts built into DizzyAGE? for example, collecting an objecting and dropping an object? Interacting with yolkfolk? screen linking?

[Adz.M]

Congrats on that game Conference Alex :v2_dizzy_clapping:

We look forward to hearing more in the DizzyAGE world :v2_dizzy_happy:

[xelanoimis]

There's no particluar limit in the size of DizzyAGE games.
Of course, I hope you're not trying to overflow the computer numeric limits :D

You can have as many tiles as you like, really a lot of rooms,
with a lot of objects. Optimizations are made so the frame rate of one room
will not depend on the total number of objects in the map.
Of course, if you throw thousands of objects in the same room, it will
be a matter of computer performance.

The default template comming with the engine offers basic scripts with
functionality very close to the original games. This means you will not have
to write code to pick or drop an item, but you will have to write a few lines
to tell what to do with it.

It will all be explained in the documentation. Just wait a few more days...

[delta]

Quick Question, what's the size limit (if any) on the games, with regards to objects (and the individual uses thereof), scripts, number of screens and Mb size?

no limit on the number of screens, altho i'd love to see someone beat Dreamworld's total and still retain their sanity.... :p

basically, the bigger the game you make, the more stuff you have to put in to fill it, and therefore the more things there are to go wrong, that'll need fixing, etc. with a really big game, you'll get code clashing with other code that you never even considered, you'll still find little bugs for weeks after you thought you'd finished it, etc etc.

i don't want to put you off, cause it's a great feeling when you've coded a working game, and other people are playing it and getting stuck on it, but all i would say is to start small, with maybe 20-30 screens for your first game, so that it doesn't overwhelm you.

then with your next game, you can then expand on stuff you learnt in the first one, and add slightly more complicated bits, as you'll have a much better idea of what you're doing.

i hope that helps, and i'm actually making sense... :drool:

[Mataeus]

i hope that helps, and i'm actually making sense... :drool:

Yes it does, and yes you are. :dizzy_biggrin:

Well, yeah I was intending to start small to get to grips with the engine and scripting mechanics 'n' all, maybe release a couple of demos to you guys to see if I've got the right end of the stick...

Of course, I will also be playing the fan games (which I'm loving very much) and see if there's any neat little tricks I can pick up from there too.

:v2_dizzy_cheers: guys!

[delta]

(in his finest blackadder voice:)

yes... and no.

/blackadder voice

it's fairly easy to start using, as you can just copy the code from the tutorials and other people's games, so you learn from that how to do different things. having said that, it isn't immediately clear how some of the things work, and it can get very frustrating.

there are however, quite a number of posts to do with dizzyAGE dotted around the different threads on here, and i think i'm right in saying that any misunderstandings that can arise are dealt with in them.

plus alex is doing complete documentation for v2! :)

[Mataeus]

(in his finest blackadder voice:)
...plus alex is doing complete documentation for v2! :)

Yup, that's what I'm waiting for then I'll be off like a rocket (or some other cliched saying) on DizzyAGE.

[Peter]

Alex,

Will there be any changes in the Beta2 currently available and the release version on DizzyAge2?

If not i want to get started on my next game :v2_dizzy_happy:

[xelanoimis]

I have a few updates on the default template, that include some comments on each function. Very useful for these who unpack a game. A few minor bug fixes on the engine. Not much different.

I try to release it tomorow... though my wife says I have to cut the grass too :)

But she is working on two small tools for DizzyAGE, one to work with TGA and one to work with YM files. They'll be in the kit too :)

[Peter]

No hurry ;)

i'll start work on the map in the beta version :v2_dizzy_happy:

[xelanoimis]

I guess you all have seen the release of DizzyAGE v2.0 by now.

Today, I've added some Google AdSense advertisers to the website, to see how they work out.
Don't worry about site navigation, because they are placed on sides, out of the Dizzy borders.
So, I hope they don't get in the way. :v2_dizzy_confused2:

I don't know yet how usefull are the provided links. I tried to guide them to games related ads,
by placing a few game websites links at the bottom of the page,
for Google to get that it's about games, not some dizzy disease :v2_dizzy_sick:.

I would advice you not to be shy with them,
but since Google saids I'm not allowed to force people to click them,
I'll just say nothing about it. Ops, I guess I did said something! :v2_dizzy_tongue2:


In another order of ideas:

I'm kinda taking a break, unless there would be some unexpected problems with the engine.
However, I am always available for anyone who needs help with it.

After that I hope to start working and finish my game, "The Other Side",
though I can't promise any deadlines.

Have fun!
Alex

[xelanoimis]

-TF- found a bug in DizzyAGE v2.0 editor.
If you want to enter an undefined value (like 9 or higher) in the class property of a dynamic object, the editor will crash. This will affect advanced users, who want to use their own object classes for their games.

Here is the fix for these who need it sooner than the next DizzyAGE version update:

1. unpack the editor.pak file with the pak tool (like you do with the game's pak)
2. rename the original editor.pak file into like editor.old_pak, so the editor will load its data from the extracted folder
3. edit the editor/scripts/gamemod.gs file as follows:

at line 86 replace the "less or equal" operator with the "less" operator.


so instead of
if(class>0 && class<=sizeof(*classname))
you must have
if(class>0 && class < sizeof(*classname))


And since you are here,
why not add the new classes of your game in the editor:

at line 273 add a new string name in the list of classes:
like ......"life","waypoint","myclass"} },

The editor will display your class ("myclass") in the menus and will allow you to select it like the other classes.

You can also pack it back (the editor folder) into a new editor.pak file, like you do with the game.

[xelanoimis]

I've updated the Dizzy colored tiles set.
There was one frame of the Dizzy walk tile, where Dizzy had one of his hands white.

You can get the updated version of the tiles set, from the official DizzyAGE site:
http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage/more.html

[delta]

eh?

not quite sure what you mean there alex. tile 11 (walk) looks fine to me. his hands are white anyway.

[Peter]

I've updated the Dizzy colored tiles set.
There was one frame of the Dizzy walk tile, where Dizzy had one of his hands white.

You can get the updated version of the tiles set, from the official DizzyAGE site:
http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage/more.html


eh?

not quite sure what you mean there alex. tile 11 (walk) looks fine to me. his hands are white anyway.

erh Jamie, i think alex was on about the 'coloured' dizzy tiles with the red gloves which are available as an additional download, not the standard plain white ones that come with dizzyage :v2_dizzy_wink2:

[xelanoimis]

Yep, the coloured dizzy tiles.
I use them in my game, so that's how I noticed it :)

[xelanoimis]

I've added a small new article:

How to make the player jump on a trampoline item? (http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage/articles/howto_player.html#trampoline)

A trampoline, like in Dizzy V.

[delta]

Yep, the coloured dizzy tiles.
I use them in my game, so that's how I noticed it :)

ahh i see.

i always use the white gloves, as that's what he had on the spectrum.

i'm curious, which do people prefer?

[xelanoimis]

Another article is up, on the official DizzyAGE website:
"How to track the playtime?"
http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage/articles/howto_utils.html#playtime

[xelanoimis]

DizzyAGE v2.1b available!

http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage/download.html

This is a beta-testing version, for the next games coming from PTeal, Jamie and myself (with The Other Side).

It fixes the stack overflow crash (thanks Jamie) and adds a few other stuff, like F2 key for the debug console.

So, please download, use it and let me know how it performs.
(see history.txt inside)

[Peter]

yippie! i can access the dev mode again :v2_dizzy_clapping:

Thanks!

[xelanoimis]

...if i didn't mentioned this, in the history.txt file,

now, static brushes support the ANIM property
if it's set to 2 (loop), they play, if not, they don't and only show the frame
set in their FRAME property, that they now take advantage of.

I'll add the B_ANIM define, in the next update/version, so you can access it from script too. (this one I forgot to export in this beta). It has the same value as O_ANIM.

So, check your maps for animated static brushes and make sure they work as supposed to.

[delta]

*goes and checks map*

haha! i've got animated static brushes without even realising i had! i guess i just plonked them down, and as they worked, never thought anymore of it!

oh and btw alex, that build you sent me seems to be fine, i've played RRD continuously for over an hour a couple of times in the last few days, and didn't get any errors.

EDIT:: just noticed you've already released it! :p

[xelanoimis]

the static brushes worked as animated before,
they just couldn't be stopped (with ANIM=0) :)

[xelanoimis]

The release of DizzyAGE v2.1 is scheduled around 3-4 february.

It is based on the current beta (v2.1b) and a few additional things,
like fixing the MusicPlay function, that currently doesn't support
the -1 value (invalid id), used to stop the current music with fade,
as the DizzyAGE v1.x did.

It will also have full support for the cause of death, having the P_DEATH
and O_DEATH exported from the engine. The O_DEATH property is now set on the #27 property and will be available in the editor too. So it will no longer be set on the first user property #32, as before. The cause of death system also includes the DeathMessage and PlayerRespawn callbacks introduced in v2.1b

So expect these changes and probably a few other small fixes...
(I had an editor crash once, while copy-pasting some brushes)

[delta]

will the O_DEATH changes and death text support affect current V2 games (i.e. RRD)?

or will it be ok as it is?

[xelanoimis]

Yes, a little bit.
Because of the redefinition of O_DEATH (from #32 to #27) you will have to:

1. remove previous definition of O_DEATH from def.gs (since it's now defined by the engine). And so do for the P_DEATH define.

2. edit the map and move the death value of your killing or hurting objects, from the first user prop, to the death prop, that will be available on the second prop page.

The change of P_DEATH define doesn't change anything, since it's used in the scripts only by value.

This should be enough for, yours and PTeal's custom death system.
(I had a quick look at yours in RailRoad.)

However you might want to have a look to the new default death system, already available in v2.1b. It is very similar to what you have, it just uses different functions, as callbacks.

There's a function PlayerDeathMessage similar to your DeathText.

The PlayerRespawn_DEATH callback is very useful to special respawns after special deaths, like when you have to move the player in a specific position after he die.

I recommend to use defines for each death (in gamedef.gs), like DEATH_RAT, DEATH_ACID, etc.

And another thing I experienced and made me adjust some scripts for TOS (and v2.1) is the situation where more than one killer code gets to write in the P_DEATH, resulting in not too exact cause of death. It's usefull to always check if P_DEATH was 0 (not specified) and/or P_LIFE is not 0 (not already dead), before you set a death in P_DEATH.

The good thing with the current death system is that you can ignore it if your game doesn't need cause of death this feature. Just don't set death properties for objects and don't change the death message callback and the default die message will appear.

Again, staying as close as possible to the default template is a good thing for both future porting of the game and for beginners trying to learn from your game.

Anyway, if you want to keep your current death code, the two changes mentioned in the beginning of the post, should be enough.

[delta]

Yes, a little bit.
Because of the redefinition of O_DEATH (from #32 to #27) you will have to:

1. remove previous definition of O_DEATH from def.gs (since it's now defined by the engine). And so do for the P_DEATH define.

2. edit the map and move the death value of your killing or hurting objects, from the first user prop, to the death prop, that will be available on the second prop page.does this mean the editor will have small changes too?


The change of P_DEATH define doesn't change anything, since it's used in the scripts only by value.

This should be enough for, yours and PTeal's custom death system.
(I had a quick look at yours in RailRoad.)

However you might want to have a look to the new default death system, already available in v2.1b. It is very similar to what you have, it just uses different functions, as callbacks.

There's a function PlayerDeathMessage similar to your DeathText.

The PlayerRespawn_DEATH callback is very useful to special respawns after special deaths, like when you have to move the player in a specific position after he die.

I recommend to use defines for each death (in gamedef.gs), like DEATH_RAT, DEATH_ACID, etc.RRD already has specific defines, and i already have specific respawns, but i guess you've made a specific function for them now.


And another thing I experienced and made me adjust some scripts for TOS (and v2.1) is the situation where more than one killer code gets to write in the P_DEATH, resulting in not too exact cause of death. It's usefull to always check if P_DEATH was 0 (not specified) and/or P_LIFE is not 0 (not already dead), before you set a death in P_DEATH.the only place where this could happen in RRD is in the water. if you died by a fish, the water still wrote to the P_DEATH variable, or if you drowned and floated up past a fish, the fish then wrote in the P_DEATH variable. took a little while to fix, but i think i did so by checking if P_LIFE >0 before writing to P_DEATH. That's certainly the way i coded it with the water anyway.


The good thing with the current death system is that you can ignore it if your game doesn't need cause of death this feature. Just don't set death properties for objects and don't change the death message callback and the default die message will appear.

Again, staying as close as possible to the default template is a good thing for both future porting of the game and for beginners trying to learn from your game.

Anyway, if you want to keep your current death code, the two changes mentioned in the beginning of the post, should be enough.yeah i probably will keep the current code, as it's less to mess around with changing, and therefore less to possibly go wrong!

[xelanoimis]

Yeah, the editor will show the death property in the second page of properties dialog.

[xelanoimis]

Found a dirty bug in the GS9 script.

This time it's the "tabdel" function, used to delete one or more elements from a table.
It somehow got through the years with a major problem, of deleting the wrong elements.

Fixed it and it will be good for you too, in the v2.1 release.

It was lucky that this evening I still worked on TOS and not started with the DizzyAGE v2.1, as planned during the day.

[delta]

i think i'll create my own little game template when you release V2.1, to include all the extra functions i use, such as the healthbar sound, and functions like the AIUpdateFly, the score, the timer, and other things like that.

[xelanoimis]

I'm thinking to add the following new feature:

-----------------------------
1. Room numeric properties.

In the ctrl+R dialog, where you can input the room's name
there will also be about 4 or 8 numeric properties (for each room)
that will work in the same way as brush properties, accessed in script
through RoomGet(rx,ry,idx) and RoomSet(rx,ry,idx,value) functions.

There's no pre-defined room properties, since the default template has no need for them,
but features like room visited (or room score), would be very easy to implement.

The only thing is that, since they get saved in the saved game, the saved game files would be a little bigger. Not a thing to worry too much. If the map is 30x30 (that's less than 1000 rooms),for 8 integers per room, we have about 1000*8*4 bytes, that's about 32KB more per saved game.

However, if someone wants it removed, he can always remove it's save/load code from the default template file.gs and keep the saved file smaller.

I think it's a useful thing. What do you think?

-----------------------------
2. Room custom text properties.

In the same room dialog (ctrl+R) there will be about 4 text inputs,
similar to the room's name, where users can enter anything they want, for each room.
These texts will be saved by the editor in a file in the map folder, similar to the one for names (dizzy.nam)

In the game scripts, there will be support for receiving these texts, in a similar way the room names are loaded, and each game, can use them as they like, filling any global structures with default info, for each room. No default storing for them and no default load and save.

Since this is a generic feature, each game will use it only if it needs it. Leaving all these input text fields blank, will result in an empty file, so no extra size, if not needed.

Being text properties, they can have whatever format the user wants. Like a list of names, or numbers.

One good use of these sort of text properties is to have, for each room, a list with sounds to play as ambient sounds (using a custom ambient sound manager). Like "torch,boil" or "drops". And this will be easy to edit from the map editor, like the room names.

I already tried something like this for ambient sounds in TOS and it's way easier than to write this file by hand, or to add code in the OpenRoom callback for each room!
I don't want to add in the map editor something too specific, so this idea with generic text room properties, would work better for everyone.

So, what do you think about this one too?

[Peter]

i really like the idea of room properties very useful, especially for scores, etc. also maybe a property that if selected if you die in the room you will be respawned in the location where dizzy entered the room.

Also could you add text properties to active objects simlar to the rooms? doing so we could then add the items description in on the editor rather than script.

[xelanoimis]

Text description for objects in editor would complicate things, because objects gets copied, deleted and a parallel management of such texts could be messy.
I thought at that for item names, but I decided against it.


Another thing I did, was to make a special case of the COLOR property, to consider the input value to be a hexadecimal number (like ff000000ff for opaque blue). The same as displayed on the property browse color button.

I hate to have an if idx==COLOR test there, but I hate even more to guess int values for colors :) So if this is OK with everyone, it's how it's gonna be. I don't think anyone was entering integer values there.


Also, I will surprise you with a new cool feature, in the brushes select dialog :)

[xelanoimis]

A new version of DizzyAGE is available for download on the website.

http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage/download.html

It's not the final v2.1 yet, but it's a release candidate. So, it's named DizzyAGE v2.1r :)

This build doesn't include the updated documentation yet (not much to update, anyway) and it hasn't the spellcheck tool either (not finished yet). But it has the PAK tool (that works with old paks) and the AudioWorks fixed.

Minor adjustments are needed for v2.1b games.
See the full history.txt update file inside.

If everything goes well, this will be the final v2.1, next week.
So please download it, try it on your games this week and let me know if it works as it should.

Alex

[xelanoimis]

Small fix on the v2.1r

In handlers.gs on the ReloadMap and ReloadScript handlers I forgot the filename parameters. Write like in start.gs:

RoomsLoadTexts("Data\\Map\\dizzy.rt");
RoomsLoadProps("Data\\Map\\dizzy.rp");

[xelanoimis]

Hm, I wonder if I should store the room properties inside the engine (like room names) and not in a global script table, to avoid loosing them on debug reload scripts requests... Probably it's a good idea.

The room's custom texts have no such problem since they are not to be changed during the game.

[xelanoimis]

DizzyAGE v2.1 is getting cooked!
So, it should be ready by tomorrow evening...

just a few adds to the v2.1r :
- room numeric properties stored in engine like room names + Load/Save fixed
- editor custom browser fixed to work on right-click only.

the spellcheck tool is still under construction, but tools are gonna be available in a separate zip and that it will be updated when needed.

So, if you have any last thoughts...
(though, I'm sure everyone is waiting to find bugs in the final release :) ).

[EDIT]
Fixed mistake in the values of the player's properties defines, in the DizzyAGE book, too.

[xelanoimis]

A few minutes after midnight here (+2), but since in the time zone 0 it's still February 1st, I'll say we are technically in time.

http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage/common/release21.gif

Yes, DizzyAGE v2.1 is finally up. Check the DizzyAGE website:
http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage

And the DizzyAGE Easter Competition 2008 has started too!
Waiting for entries and sponsors :)
It will end on May 1st, as usual.

A new note to the rules has just been added:
Contesters can register more than one game in the competition.
So, hopefully we'll have even more Dizzy games this year!

If you need help with your game(s), ask for support here in the forums, or directly on the email from the DizzyAGE website.

Good luck to everyone!
Alex

[delta]

I'll be entering Rail Road Dizzy:

<img src="http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h129/temptationfeeder/Rail14.jpg" width="250">

[xelanoimis]

You're up :)

http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage/competition.html

[Adz.M]

I've posted the news about DizzyAGE on the main site.

http://yolkfolk.com/site/news.php?id=37

[delta]

right, i've ported Rail Road Dizzy over to v2.1

all i needed to do was change the death functions in the map from a user defined one to the proper one, and take out the #def in the def.gs file.

i left everything else as it as, including the room count, death messages etc etc, as it should work fine with the code it already uses.

Alex, please let me know if anything else needs to be changed.

i'll send the beta testers for RRD the new Zip file once alex has confirmed nothing else needs to be changed. i also fixed a few bugs i noticed while changing the properties, and a small bug Adz.M pointed out.

Adz has nearly finished it now, so when both he and alex have finished it, i'll send the new Zip file out, as obviously the old save games won't work with the new version (again! sorry...). i'd like alex's input regarding the last part of the game, so that i can fix anything before i send the latest version out.

i'd appreciate it if you could run through the new version again when i send it out, just to confirm it all still works. :)

[xelanoimis]

That should be enough for porting RRD to v2.1
I'll play more tomorrow, but I need some walk-through help, as I described in the email I sent you today (didn't get to the other side of the canyon yet).

[delta]

i've just replied to your email, let me know if you need more help.

[delta]

Alex, i found a bug in v2.1

i've sent you the details in an email, it's to do with changing the colour of tiles from the script. i think adding alpha channels has confused the engine from that point of view, as it no longer works.

of course, it could be that you changed the code to do it, but i don't think so.

[delta]

turns out it's not a bug, just i missed something out of the code.

specifically, i accidently edited a file in one of my older games, instead of in RRD... :hitwall:

[macon]

For my next project I want a playable screen that only has borders at the top and bottom, not the sides. I have made the room size 256 (w) x 144 (h) pixels. I need a map of 30 (w) x 10 (h), it is an irregular shaped map I don't actually need 300 rooms. But on setting the map size I get an 'out of bounds error'. If I click on 'no' then everything is fine despite the error message.

On trying different size map sizes to see where the error occurs it worked Ok at the default of 2000, and failed at 3000, My programming logic told me the error must occur on maps with an x or y greater than 2048. That was the case. It seems strange that an error should be thrown up even though it will work if I ignore the error.

Is it something I'm doing wrong? Is it ok to carry on with my map in the meantime?

[xelanoimis]

I'll have a look at it, but an error is an error, and even if ignoring it seems to works, it's still bad. I'll post soon about it.

[xelanoimis]

Got it!

It's a bug in the editor, in the new rooms text properties feature, when trying to resize the map texts matrix. I'll fix it today or tomorrow and I'll post a new set of tools.

So it's not about the size of the map being too big, but the resizing operation.
(even the New map op is considered resize (+clear), from the last map)

One work around, for now, is to ignore the error :p, save the big map, close the editor and delete dizzy.rt and probably dizzy.rp files. Then reload the map and add the room's texts again, if any.

Thanks for mentioning it.

[delta]

For my next project I want a playable screen that only has borders at the top and bottom, not the sides. I have made the room size 256 (w) x 144 (h) pixels. I need a map of 30 (w) x 10 (h), it is an irregular shaped map I don't actually need 300 rooms. But on setting the map size I get an 'out of bounds error'. If I click on 'no' then everything is fine despite the error message.

On trying different size map sizes to see where the error occurs it worked Ok at the default of 2000, and failed at 3000, My programming logic told me the error must occur on maps with an x or y greater than 2048. That was the case. It seems strange that an error should be thrown up even though it will work if I ignore the error.

Is it something I'm doing wrong? Is it ok to carry on with my map in the meantime?

is this a project that you'll be entering the Easter Competition with?

[macon]

Yes. I do hope to enter it in the competition. I wasn't going to mention it until I had some screenshots. It hasn't even got a name yet.

I have been working on it for a few days though writing scripts for the game. I have totally re-written the inventory system as I need a bigger inventory and I want to show graphics for each item like in 16 bit Dizzy games. This is working fine.

Also, If you remember I used 16 bit tiles for Excalibur Dizzy. This time the player has the option of switching tilesets so they can have their prefered graphics. This can be done in game and I have also got it working fine using the default template.

Now the fun is over and the chore of making the map starts.

[delta]

Yes. I do hope to enter it in the competition. I wasn't going to mention it until I had some screenshots. It hasn't even got a name yet.

I have been working on it for a few days though writing scripts for the game. I have totally re-written the inventory system as I need a bigger inventory and I want to show graphics for each item like in 16 bit Dizzy games. This is working fine.

Also, If you remember I used 16 bit tiles for Excalibur Dizzy. This time the player has the option of switching tilesets so they can have their prefered graphics. This can be done in game and I have also got it working fine using the default template.

Now the fun is over and the chore of making the map starts.
wooooo!

to me, the fun is making the map, and the chore is getting the coding to work how you want.

how have you got it to change tilesets? surely some tiles are bigger in one tileset than another. hmmm...... :confused:

[macon]

The tiles in both sets must be the same size and have the same tile numbers. Then I unload the current tileset and load the new one and everything on screen changes as if by magic.

[delta]

The tiles in both sets must be the same size and have the same tile numbers. Then I unload the current tileset and load the new one and everything on screen changes as if by magic.

jeez that must have taken a while to syncronize.

[xelanoimis]

DizzyAGE v2.1.1 is available.

http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage/download.html

From the Version History file:

080210 v2.1.1 patch version
- fixed bug in editor on resize map
- moved room sizes in the map info dialog (require resize to change)
- fixed change properties dialog to use double-value check boxes (not triple vale)
- fixed a bug in the custom browser for room properties.

OBS:
- only editor (.exe and .pak) and it's docs have been changed.
- no changes are required to v2.1 games, not even the dizzyage_version version from the dizzy.inf

[delta]

one suggestion Alex for the next release (whenever that may be). can you get the numbers on the numerical pad on the right of the keyboard to work in the editor? that's been bugging me since day 1, i just kept forgetting to mention it! :p

[xelanoimis]

I have uploaded the v2.1.1 again with the fix for gamepads (joysticks).
They should work now. Please download and let me know!

And with the latest drivers, I even got my ThrustMaster Dual Power 3 to do the force feedback. I did try few drivers until I got one working, right from the official ThrustMaster site.

So, if your gamepad/joystick plays force feedback in Control Pannel / Game Devices, it should do something in DizzyAGE games too (if game uses it and it's enabled in options). Test it with "the mushroom pie", right at the beginning, when the cave collapses.

Still no changes in the v2.1 games.
In fact, the last .1 in the version notation (v2.1.1) means it's a patch version, with bug fixes, that don't need adjustment in the games.
And in the dizzy.inf you only specify v2.1 because only 2.1 is tested with the engine version. If new features are added, then second and even the first digits are changed and games may need adjustments for upgrade.


...as for the numpad keys in the editor,
they should work now too :)
there was a bug, that prevented that (unless shift was pressed)

[xelanoimis]

I have uploaded the following games (on the DizzyAGE website),
to include the v2.1.1 engine, so they can be played with a gamepad / joystick.
(no changes to the game, just the dizzy.exe)

Dizzy And The Mushroom Pie
Dizzy And The Healing Potion
Rail Road Dizzy
Dizzy: The Ultimate Cartoon Adventure *

*The TUCA on the DizzyAGE website has no windows installer.
Just a plain zip with v2.1.1 engine

[Peter]

The TUCA on the DizzyAGE website has no windows installer.
Just a plain zip with v2.1.1 engine

I've updated the version on yolkfolk to the new 2.1.1, and uploaded to yolkfolk. if you could also update the one on dizzyage website i would be greatful.

[xelanoimis]

uploaded your new tuca (with 2.1.1 and setup installer) on DizzyAGE

[Peter]

uploaded your new tuca (with 2.1.1 and setup installer) on DizzyAGE

thanks :v2_dizzy_thumbsup:

[xelanoimis]

Arrr....
Another small fix for the editor!
The "change brushes" dialog had the check boxes out of bounds.
Still v2.1.1, only editor.pak was changed.

[delta]

the check boxes out of bounds? i've been using the 'change brushes' properties box quite a bit in the last few days, and i've not had an error...

[xelanoimis]

It was the previous version of 2.1.1, the one that showed 'x' in the check boxes of the change prop dialog. Not happening in previous versions.
It had more check boxes than properties on the page. It didn't crashed, but they were out of the visual dialog's bounds, going down on vertical.
Anyway, it's fixed now :)

[xelanoimis]

Another update for the engine (changed dizzy.exe only). Still v2.1.1
Gamepad rumble option from ini was ignored, always performing rumble, if supported.
I updated MushroomPie, HealingPotion and RailRoad with the new exe.
PTeal let me know when you update Tuca, though you might wait a day or two.
Who knows what else I might found...
Lucky I'm working on TOS and find all these small but annoing bugs :v2_dizzy_blink:

[xelanoimis]

DizzyAGE website is going to make a special announcement tonight....
It's a surprize, so stay tuned and have a visit to DizzyAGE and the Yolkfolk forums this evening.
Until then, if you didn't start working on your competition entry yet, don't waste any more time...

[NigeC]

holds his breath in anticipation.........





starts to go blue..................












MEDIC!!!

[Adz.M]

If you hold your breath m8, you won't be able to find out what the announcement is :p

Playing the Dizzy games usually helps pass the time.......well it does for me :say_yes:

[delta]

DizzyAGE website is going to make a special announcement tonight....
It's a surprize, so stay tuned and have a visit to DizzyAGE and the Yolkfolk forums this evening.
Until then, if you didn't start working on your competition entry yet, don't waste any more time...

i think it'll be something about the prizes for the competition. alex alluded to something about a week ago. i can't find the post now...

[xelanoimis]

All right, it's up!

http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage/competition_prizes.html

and I added to the rules, what Jamie suggested:
# More game entries per developer are accepted too.
# You only win with your best entry (not a prize for each of them).

[delta]

wow! :v2_dizzy_eek:

that's an amazing prize! :v2_dizzy_thumbsup: nice one!

[NigeC]

cool!:v2_dizzy_clapping:

[Adz.M]

Congrats Alex :v2_dizzy_clapping:

Do you want me to mention this news on Yolkfolk.com? I was thinking of posting a competition reminder on there at some point :)

[xelanoimis]

Do you want me to mention this news on Yolkfolk.com? I was thinking of posting a competition reminder on there at some point :)

Of course and let's hope it will motivate other people to join in, too :)

[Adz.M]

*Ping*

http://www.yolkfolk.com/site/news.php?id=40

[delta]

1. Room numeric properties.

In the ctrl+R dialog, where you can input the room's name
there will also be about 4 or 8 numeric properties (for each room)
that will work in the same way as brush properties, accessed in script
through RoomGet(rx,ry,idx) and RoomSet(rx,ry,idx,value) functions.

There's no pre-defined room properties, since the default template has no need for them,
but features like room visited (or room score), would be very easy to implement.

alex, i'm kinda confused as to how you actually implement the numeric properties. yes there are 8 boxes per room in the editor, but how do you call them in the script? they don't have 'names' like the brushes do, they just have properties. so i'm a bit perplexed as to how to actually change them, as there doesn't seem to be any way to distinguish between them.

this is one of the last things i have to do in MSD. and it's also just occured to me that it may come in very useful for my next game, altho i'll have to think about that a bit more...

[xelanoimis]

alex, i'm kinda confused as to how you actually implement the numeric properties. yes there are 8 boxes per room in the editor, but how do you call them in the script? they don't have 'names' like the brushes do, they just have properties. so i'm a bit perplexed as to how to actually change them, as there doesn't seem to be any way to distinguish between them.

A room stores the numeric properties similar to brushes.
If brushes are identified through their internal index, that can be searched with ObjFind or BrushFind ant the brush id, the rooms are accessed through their coordinates.

Since there are no specific properties for rooms, like for brushes (ex: O_COLOR or O_STATUS, etc), you have to address them through their numeric values. Of course you can do that for brushes too. Ex:
ObjGet(obj_idx,O_COLOR) is the same as ObjGet(obj_idx,12) since the O_COLOR define is 12.

So if you want to get a room property in the script, let's say property number 2, corresponding to the third box in editor (since they start from 0) you do like:
value = RoomGet(rx,ry,2);
where rx and ry are the room coordinates in the map (starting with 0,0 in the top left corner).
If you want to overwrite this property, during the game, you do:
RoomSet(rx,ry,2,newvalue);

Of course if you use one of the properties for a specific purpose, you can add a define, for a more elegant use, like:
#def R_MYPROP 2
and use
RoomSet(rx,ry,R_MYPROP,newvalue);

Let me know if that was the extra info you needed.

[delta]

aha! thank you, i'll give that a go...

EDIT:: well that was dead easy! i've nearly finished it now...

[xelanoimis]

Well, I can no longer hold this v2.2 beta anymore, so here is a first shot:

http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage/download/dizzyage_v22b1.zip

The zip includes the devtools (engine, template, editor), tools (with new FontWork and TextWork), updated DizzyAGE book and a localisation tech demo (english and romanian so far).

Please read the history.txt file inside to find how to upgrade your games,
because there are a few changes required.

PTeal, please test the FontWork tool and see if the support is OK for what you were needing. Sorry there's no font demo, but it's covered in the book.

Jamie, please see if it fixes the problems you had with the map loading or so.

I'll have to play TOS on this version too, and see if it goes well.

And if anything will be OK, this will be the v2.2 soon.

[xelanoimis]

And here is a sample of a font attached. (tile .tga and .fnt file)

[xelanoimis]

And if anyone from Poland, Russian or other countries can help adding new languages in the localisation demo, that would be included in the official release.

It needs a repaint of the font tile, with specific characters in their ASCII postions, translation of the .gsl files (using these characters),
little codding in language.gs, etc.
(so far, I only have the font tile in Russian)

[Peter]

Time to play :v2_dizzy_happy:

[delta]

i'll have a look at it later. has anything changed in the map editor?

[xelanoimis]

Not much difference in the editor.
The numpad enter key support in edit boxes and better map scrolling.
See the history.txt for other details.

[xelanoimis]

I have the russian version for the Localization demo (text and font).
So, if other countries want to be present, let me know.

[xelanoimis]

In this v2.2b, I have a bug in counting text rows and their height.

If the text ends in \n, this last empty line was not considered.
It's fixed now, on my computer. So don't worry about it.

The localization tech demo will be adjusted a bit, about the language menu.
I want to avoid the "all languages names in all supported languages" issue...

I plan to release official v2.2 by the end of this weekend, so if there are other problems, let me know by then.

[delta]

i'll deffo be able to see if the map changing works by then. i'll let you know the results! :)

[delta]

i'm guessing alex, that you've released dizzyage v2.2 ? ;)

[xelanoimis]

DizzyAGE v2.2 is ready!

http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage

Little has changed since the v2.2beta:

- support for flashing color {f:1} on the in-text tiles {t:id dx dy}.
* before, tiles were displayed with current color, even if flash flag was set.
- template: added SampleStopAll() in files.gs, after loading a saved game.
* you should add it too.
- changed misspelled "localisation" into "localization", in setup, dizzy.ini etc.
* you must adjust your dizzy.ini too.
- included TextWorks tool, for text strings export and import
* have a backup before using.

I've also updated the documentation, all tech demos and the "Mushroom Pie" and "Healing Potion" games.

Added new article on localization and a tech demo about it, with three languages.

Hopefully there won't be any more bugs...
I will hold this version until all current DizzyAGE games are upgraded to v2.2

So, download it and start upgrading your games, especially the one in progress for the competition.

And as usual, if you need help or if you find something not working, please let me know.
By the way, the latest history entries were dated 2007 instead of 2008 :p

Alex

[delta]

dammit alex, i have 7 games to upgrade!!! :O

[xelanoimis]

You probably noticed the Google AdSense advertisers on the DizzyAGE website are gone for some time now.

Well, my experience with AdSense produced exactly $26 in more than four months, before Google decided to close my account for good, due to "invalid clicks" they say... At least I'm not singular case.

I was hopping to push a bigger prize in the competition this year, but since they don't pay until $100 is reached, I can say it was more trouble to add and remove their code from my pages.

Still, there is time for more sponsors to show up, so keep the good work!

[xelanoimis]

dammit alex, i have 7 games to upgrade!!! :O

I can imagine! At least you know your stuff :)

Anyway, I must advise this, before it's too much to work on.
I have someone wanting to port DizzyAGE on another platform,
so if this happens, only the games for the latest engine will work.

[delta]

I can imagine! At least you know your stuff :)

Anyway, I must advise this, before it's too much to work on.
I have someone wanting to port DizzyAGE on another platform,
so if this happens, only the games for the latest engine will work.

:v2_dizzy_dry: so i upgrade 7 games to v2.2, then a month or two later, i have to upgrade them to v3? :cry:

not going to happen. they'd stay at v2.2

[xelanoimis]

Don't worry, I will not change it every month :)

The changes in v2.2 were necessary for supporting the requested features.
If not for that, it would've run v2.1 games with no problems.

The differences between engine versions are smaller and smaller and in the end they will no longer require changes in the games' scripts.

Beside, I don't want to get to v3.0, because it sounds too much 3D :p

[delta]

right this is starting to annoy me now. i've changed everything the history.txt tells me to, even the small little bits of text in dialog.gs that you don't notice the changes on at first. but i still have no text in the game menus, or on the room name in the HUD. game dialog boxes just appear as small square borders. :dizzy_mad:

EDIT:: great. now it displays text on the HUD, but when you open a menu, not only do you get nothing, the HUD text also goes away.

i have a feeling the problem is related....

EDIT:: also, my 'fade' function has stopped working. altho that could be completely unrelated.

ANOTHER EDIT:: so i downloaded Totalcommander and (after a few moments spent finding the 'compare' function), found the problem in about 2 seconds. bah.

[delta]

right, so it's finally working! it was my intention for save games from v1.2 of DMD to be able to be loaded in v2.0 (not sure if they would have or not...), however with the font tile changing, they definately won't.

expect v2.0 of DMD by the end of the week. (or maybe the end of tonight if i find the rest of it easy to do!)

[xelanoimis]

Between v1.2 and v2.0 there were changes in the brush properties (even their number), so the saves won't work.

The font is not a problem, unless you use the tile in the map and have to remap those brushes, especially dynamic ones.

You can keep the font tile if you really want, and compile a font (.fnt) to work with it. But the full ASCII tile (128x128) in v2.2 is better, because, if someone wants to translate your game, he can add the special characters on their original ASCII positions. That's why I decided to have such a tile, even if most of it is empty.

Also, if anyone needs default templates from older versions, for comparing and finding differences, I can provide.

[delta]

yeah i thought there might be some difference between v1.31 and v2.0 that would make save games not work.

with pretty much every one of my games, the font is a problem, as i use it at the very least to draw the text on the title screen.

DMD will definately NOT be done by the end of tonight. i've decided to go all-out on adding detail to the v2 map, and have just completely re-drawn 4 rooms...! :) i'm also seriously considering adding a few more puzzles and re-jigging a couple....

also, the spiders now hang upside down for some reason, not moving...

[mickyblueeyes]

also, the spiders now hang upside down for some reason, not moving...

that usually means they're dead...,,sorrry

[Colin]

also, the spiders now hang upside down for some reason, not moving...

I had the save problem when I tried a copy of one of the spiders in one of your games to test. I think O_USER 32 and 33 were swapped!
this meant the character flip was actually controlling the speed. so if flip was originally set to 0 and speed 4, you now had no speed and a flip sideways!

Well I just spent 3 hours converting my game to work totally in v2.2. I think I got the 'local' working now (only in english)

[xelanoimis]

i'm also seriously considering adding a few more puzzles and re-jigging a couple....

Uuuu... we'll get to play again then :)

[delta]

I had the save problem when I tried a copy of one of the spiders in one of your games to test. I think O_USER 32 and 33 were swapped!
this meant the character flip was actually controlling the speed. so if flip was originally set to 0 and speed 4, you now had no speed and a flip sideways!

thank you, i hadn't really looked into it yet, but i'll give that a try!

[delta]

Uuuu... we'll get to play again then :)

yup, altho there will still be the 'classic' version with the original puzzles included. :)

[delta]

it's probably a good job i'm doing DMD v2, i'm actually getting *really* bored with coding my new game. but not in the way i got bored of coding RRD. no, this goes WAAAY beyond that. i haven't touched it for nearly 3 weeks now, the only thing stopping me from giving up on it is the fact i've put so much effort into it already.

i'll finish DMD v2, then i *might* start work on it again.

[xelanoimis]

DizzyAGE v2.2.1 RELEASED!

Download it and check the history.txt for details.

On short it adds support for joystick in script.
I also support custom game file names. So now, if you want to rename your game to mygame.exe, it will look for mygame.ini, mygame.pak, and mygame.log. But you'll have to adjust the setup resource script (use Resource Hacker) to handle these files - check the defines at the beginning.
The setup also support external installer/uninstaller like Inno Setup.

The DizzyAGE v2.2.1 should run all v2.2 games without any changes in the game. If you don't need these features you can skip the upgrade of your old games.

(docs haven't been updated)

[delta]

alex, does this mean that we have to change the .exe file for the game to support this, or just the setup.exe file?

in other words, when i download it to change TLoD to v2.2.1, do i have to change the .exe file to a new version as well as the setup.exe file?

[xelanoimis]

Yep, it's a different dizzy.exe file, offering the support for the joystick and ini and pak with the same name (in case you change it's name). And the setup.exe is also new.

But if other games don't need these features, they don't need to rush to upgrade to it yet.

[delta]

yeah i got it :)

[xelanoimis]

Another update - I fixed something in setup.exe
Jamie you need it (and you got mail).
Same version (v2.2.1) just different .exe

[delta]

Alex, what happened to the larger editor window size you said you'd include? :p

[xelanoimis]

I haven't time to look into it yet.

If you really need it, I can come up with a temporary version for you only.
For the official version I have to think a bit to see how to do it right. I mean I could add another size option there, but that might be too big for some and too small for others. Another idea is to have the window resizable, but that could be longer and harder to implement. Or I could use a full desktop size option.

Anyway if you want a specific size, I can send you a build supporting that sooner.

[delta]

I haven't time to look into it yet.

If you really need it, I can come up with a temporary version for you only.
For the official version I have to think a bit to see how to do it right. I mean I could add another size option there, but that might be too big for some and too small for others. Another idea is to have the window resizable, but that could be longer and harder to implement. Or I could use a full desktop size option.

Anyway if you want a specific size, I can send you a build supporting that sooner.

no it's ok, better to work on something more permanent for everyone. Thanks anyway!

[xelanoimis]

Another bug fix in the setup.exe to accept pak files with other name than dizzy.pak. Jamie will need it (you have email with feedback for tlod119). Still v2.1.1
[EDIT] yep v2.2.1

[delta]

Another bug fix in the setup.exe to accept pak files with other name than dizzy.pak. Jamie will need it (you have email with feedback for tlod119). Still v2.1.1

it's v2.2.1 alex :p

and for those people wondering what tlod119 is, it's beta build number 119 of TLoD. with me considering a new 'build' to be everytime i add something, change something, or fix a bug.

not long now...

[xelanoimis]

Have a look at the main page of DizzyAGE website:
http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage/
(then scroll after the competition entries)

The three participants also have emails about this :)
Have a nice Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!
Alex

[EDIT: don't forget to refresh the page load in your browser]

[JonnyJP]

Is there a 2009 competition? When is it likely to be announced if there is one?

[pamuch]

Another bug fix in the setup.exe to accept pak files with other name than dizzy.pak. Jamie will need it (you have email with feedback for tlod119). Still v2.1.1
[EDIT] yep v2.2.1

hay my iphone has just had a software update to yes you guest it 2.2.1
when i say my iphone i mean all iphone's lol:v2_dizzy_lol:
what a small world it is if only i could play dizzy on it.
hay i can dream can't i

[delta]

Is there a 2009 competition? When is it likely to be announced if there is one?

there will be. it's usually announced towards the end of feb, altho that depends on alex.

[xelanoimis]

Yep, I'll announce it by the end of February, or sooner.
Of course, everyone can start working on their games already :)

[delta]

Of course, everyone can start working on their games already :)

already on it, as are (i think) Meph and Colin. :v2_dizzy_walkman:

[macon]

already on it, as are (i think) Meph and Colin. :v2_dizzy_walkman:

..... and so am I.

Expect a progress thread within a couple of days.

[delta]

wooo!

i'm still uncertain whether mine will be finished on time or not.

[Meph]

Mine will be ready, for sure..
unless i click the wrong button again and lose it all.
I need to redeem my self from the Scrambled Eggs embarrassment.
Current progect should proved some entertainment.

[delta]

:) that's good! don't be afraid to ask people to beta-test it. beta testing helps improve games enormously, especially if you use good beta testers. :say_yes:

good beta testers will test absolutely everything. they'll try things you won't have thought of, or try and do things or use objects in different orders. in the process they'll find bugs you'd never have found, and discover unintended consequences. They'll make loads of suggestions, including what puzzles don't really work, what dialogue doesn't sit right in the game, and advise of any silly little mistakes you didn't spot yourself. if they don't understand bits of the game they'll tell you it doesn't make sense, and suggest where you may want to change the design slightly if something doesn't look right. Of course you don't have to go with these suggestions, but they provide food for thought, and you may decide to work things a different way entirely because of those suggestions.

not so good beta testers.... will play the game, and tell you it looks good. They may find the odd bug or two, but this will usually be in the normal course of play, and will probably have been found by one of your other beta testers by then anyway.

I'd advise you to use a few beta testers, as you will find that some people have an instinctive understanding of what is required of a beta tester. other people - nothing against them - simply don't have that understanding.

Finally when using beta testers, don't forget to give them a bit of credit in the readme file (or even in the game itself if you wish to!)

[Meph]

yeah, wont need them for a bit yet.

[xelanoimis]

DizzyAGE v2.3 is now available:
http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage/download.html

It has native scrolling and flipping support:
http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage/articles/howto_scrollgames.html

Editor bug fixed (long tiles path) and custom screen size ;)

The DizzyAGE book have been updated including changes from v2.2.1
Also a few FAQ entries, also from v2.2.1 features:
http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage/articles/howto_utils.html#renameexe

Games for v2.2 or v2.2.1 are fully compatible and can upgrade to v2.3 just by copying the new dizzy.exe and setup.exe files. The only advantage is the support for vsync (set from dizzy.ini or setup).

Check history.txt for full details.
I hope I didn't miss anything :)

Have fun!
Alex

[delta]

alex, will save games saved in v2.2.1 of dizzyage work with v2.3 (provided nothing else is changed?)

also, is it just me, or is the 'setup.exe' icon now the same as the game icon? :v2_dizzy_confused2: (EDIT:: it's just me, it was always the same. i thought it used to be the 'cogs' logo)

one last thing that i've been meaning to say for ages, the first few words of the copyright disclaimer on the DizzyAGE site are missing... EDIT:: i've figured out why. the image for TOS is too big and covers over the 'dizzy' part of the disclaimer.

[delta]

alex, what happens with scrolling if you get to the edge of the map?

[xelanoimis]

alex, what happens with scrolling if you get to the edge of the map?

I hope it doesn't crash or anything bad...
It should just show nothing (background color only) and material should be 0.
Let me know if it doesn't work like this.

Anyway it's best to have a border of 1 room where you can't reach - just to look good.

[xelanoimis]

I've updated the DizzyAGE website and automated the display of game versions. Now I keep them in the internal "database" with the counters and download links.

They should be visible on the "games" page (along with the download counters) and on each game's page.

http://www.yolkfolk.com/dizzyage/games.html

Authors should check it out and let me know if the displayed versions of their games are incorrect.

I used the values from the readme files included in the game zips. Where the version was missing I set it to v1.0. Everybody should have a version id like that in their readme.txt files and should update it when sending me upgrades. Ideally this version should be also set in the dizzy.inf file (that is displayed in setup.exe and in the game's about dialog box - press F1).

P.S.
I uploaded the games Jamie sent me (upgraded to DizzyAGE v2.3)
Thanks Jamie, for keeping your games up to date.

[delta]

Mine are fine :)

i decided to update IID as there was also a bug needed fixing, and as it was so easy to update v2.2 games to v2.3 i decided to do most of my others too.

[delta]

alex, there's a problem with the scrolling.

the 'game view' is 2 pixels lower than it should be, so it shows 2 extra pixels at the bottom of the screen, and cuts 2 off at the top. See my scroll demo version 5 for an example.

it could however be that the coding for TLoD is positioning the player 2 pixels too low? if it is this, how would i reposition it so that the player is in the same position in the map?

[xelanoimis]

Thanks for the disclaimer bug. It was only on Opera browser. I think I fixed it now.

As for the scrolling bug, I'll check it out next week and find a fix.

[delta]

it's ok, i fixed it. i simply changed this line of code:



GameSet( G_VIEWPORTY, GameGet(G_ROOMY)*roomh - PlayerGet(P_Y) + roomh/2 );


to this:



GameSet( G_VIEWPORTY, GameGet(G_ROOMY)*roomh - PlayerGet(P_Y) + 2 + roomh/2 );


works fine now! :) I think it may have had something to do with all the custom coding in my top-down games.

[xelanoimis]

There was a small but critical bug in the DizzyAGE v2.3 engine. It happened when I introduced the scrolling feature. I fixed it now and I updated the games that were using it. The engine version remained the same. Thanks Jamie for finding it!

[delta]

anyone else noticed that the last 9 DizzyAGE games all have different authors?

[Meph]

Should loads of games for next years comp.
at least 10!!!

[Huckleberry]

It'll take ages to get through them all. Dizzy's enjoying a renaissance:v2_dizzy_clapping:

[quiggie]

anyone else noticed that the last 9 DizzyAGE games all have different authors?

Yes great isn't it - partly thanks to you and your tutorials jamie - really looking forward to next easters competiton - loads of young guns coming through [well i don't know their ages but they might be] :v2_dizzy_clapping:

[Adz.M]

Just 4 more DizzyAGE games and they'll be 40 games listed on the site

[delta]

you never know, CoTM may be the 40th! altho the way newbies are churning out games at the moment, it's more likely to be the 50th!

[xelanoimis]

Hi everyone,

An error slipped in the setup.exe of the v2.3. Nothing too serious, but the Video/Advanced page was not refreshing when options were changed.

I fixed it and updated the DizzyAGE.zip and all v2.3 games:
diamondmine, treasuretomb, winterworld, railroad, magicstar, bubbletrouble, mushroompie, dragonvalley, harpoflife, illusionisland, dreamworld, and healingpotion.

They all now have the new setup.exe dated June 18th.

Thanks Colin for spotting the problem!
Alex

[delta]

Alex, did you keep the new icons for all the setup.exe files on my games?

[xelanoimis]

Eh, no. I just replaced the exe.
Get the latest setup.exe, update icons and send me the customized setup.exe files, in a zip, each in an appropriate folder, and I'll upload them again.

[delta]

Eh, no. I just replaced the exe.
Get the latest setup.exe, update icons and send me the customized setup.exe files, in a zip, each in an appropriate folder, and I'll upload them again.

arghhh! ok, i'll do it sometime this weekend. :(

[xelanoimis]

sorry, at least there was no change in dizzy.exe too :)

[delta]

in some ways the dizzy.exe file would actually be easier! a few of my newer games (BTD, IID) have parts of the script in the setup file changed so that they remove the highscores file on uninstall. I'll have to change that in the new setup files.

ah well.

[delta]

just a quick note, the last 10 DizzyAGE games released all have different authors....

[Meph]

:O

i forgot about 'Dizzy And The Harp Of Life'

[Adz.M]

Just 3 more DizzyAGE games and they'll be 40 games listed on the site.

It's like we're going around a mysterious circle here. X) :v2_dizzy_crazy: :p

[xelanoimis]

Jamie's games have now the setup.exe updated with the latest versions he sent me.

[xelanoimis]

DizzyAGE v2.4 released!

What's new?

1. support for custom game resolution in dizzy.inf
read about it in the articles section (larger rooms)
Please don't abuse this... I love the retro style of Dizzy game!

2. support for computer's time and date: gs_systemtime(y,m,d), gs_systemdate(h,m,s). Can be used for some cool stuff, but don't base your game's logic on it. Obviously players can set any time and date to their computers.

3. bugs fixes: memory leak in audio stream (sometimes when exiting the game while stream playing), blocking static brushes with frame property set higher than 0 were not blocking (not writing in the material map).

All previous games will work with the new version without any changes.
It's recommended to use the latest engine version, especially with new games to be released.

Have fun!
Alex

P.S.
I linked the latest C/C++ sources on the download page. So whoever's interested can get it. As stated, the idea is to assure developers that their games don't depend on a "magic executable" that one day could stop working. For any other purposes, contact me.