My wishes for the next Coldstone Release

When I started to make some complex events in coldstone, I wanted to have a source code editor and not the drag-and-drop event editor. What I would like to have in the next release is an event editor with functions, events with parameters, loops, SELECT-statements, complex arthmetic operations and so on.

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Originally posted by RJ:
**When I started to make some complex events in coldstone, I wanted to have a source code editor and not the drag-and-drop event editor. What I would like to have in the next release is an event editor with functions, events with parameters, loops, SELECT-statements, complex arthmetic operations and so on.

**

I doubt that will happen, as the whole idea of Coldstone is to make game creation simple and easy.

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quitcherbellyachin.
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When I started to make some complex events in coldstone, I wanted to have a source code editor and not the drag-and-drop event editor. What I would like to have in the next release is an event editor with functions, events with parameters, loops, SELECT-statements, complex arthmetic operations and so on.

As I've said before: Coldstone is a dream factory, not a miracle worker.

If you really want a source code editor, you should have bought CodeWarrior instead. Most of the things you said you wanted can be done with some trickery and action manipulation. Although I do agree with the more complex math; it would make certain things easier.

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The only sovereign you can allow to rule you is reason ŃWizard's Sixth Rule, Faith of the Fallen.
ŃCafall

(This message has been edited by Cafall (edited 02-14-2002).)

But if you got used to a source code editor, you'll have to change your habits when using the event editor. Perhaps there could be an editor for experienced users.

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Quote

Originally posted by RJ:
**When I started to make some complex events in coldstone, I wanted to have a source code editor and not the drag-and-drop event editor. What I would like to have in the next release is an event editor with functions, events with parameters, loops, SELECT-statements, complex arthmetic operations and so on.
**

Actually, one of the first thing I would do for another major release is somehow related to your wish. I won't give any details but I'm sure it will please everyone.

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Dee Brown
Beenox inc. - (url="http://"http://www.beenox.com")www.beenox.com(/url) (check our new web site!)
(url="http://"http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/games/coldstone/")Coldstone Game Engine(/url) / (url="http://"http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/games/pog/")Pillars of Garendall(/url) developers

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Actually, one of the first thing I would do for another major release is somehow related to your wish. I won't give any details but I'm sure it will please everyone. (italics added for emphasis)

Wait a minute Dee.. you say above you have things in mind that you would do
for another major release, which implies that you haven't decided about whether or not
there will be another major release. But then you go on to say that these changes
will please everyone, implying that these changes will be seen and thereby there
will be another major release.

So which is it? Or are you deliberately teasing us because you can? 🙂

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Lolly lolly lolly get your adverbs here.

(This message has been edited by Stark Bledfast (edited 02-15-2002).)

I have a some more ideas:

  1. An actual timer mechanism. This is something a lot of people have commented on.
  2. Generic/Universal events. Such as when someone enters any room a particular set of actions occur. Or when a person of any class levels, another set of action occur. And so on. I think this is good object oriented programming.
  3. Have the game be able to take over control of the player. With that you could do something with a mind control or sleep walking type of storyline twist.
  4. A similar idea is to allow the player to switch to an npc and start controlling it.
  5. More dynamic control of various game aspects. One in particular is npc stats. I had wanted to do a doppelganger npc that no matter when the player came across it would be at least as powerful as the player.
  6. theGlueBubble said earlier that Coldstone is suppose to make game creation simple and easy. Well how about "Basic" and "Advanced" modes.

Gallandro

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"(Even though you just obliterated a fleet of Galaxy Destroyers) Prepare to die!" says the confederate gunboat pilot.

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Originally posted by Stark Bledfast:
Or are you deliberately teasing us because you can?

😄

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Dee Brown
Beenox inc. - (url="http://"http://www.beenox.com")www.beenox.com(/url) (check our new web site!)
(url="http://"http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/games/coldstone/")Coldstone Game Engine(/url) / (url="http://"http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/games/pog/")Pillars of Garendall(/url) developers

Now he's deliberately teasing us.

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The only sovereign you can allow to rule you is reason ŃWizard's Sixth Rule, Faith of the Fallen.
ŃCafall

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Originally posted by theGlueBubble:
**I doubt that will happen, as the whole idea of Coldstone is to make game creation simple and easy.

**

The old "World Builder" program had a very simple, BASIC-like programming language that was versatile enough for most purposes, yet very easy to learn.

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--
Mark

Another thing I want to change are the default keys. I'm using a german keybord so my block key isn't "z". I have to press the "y" button. :frown:

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World Builder was wonderful! When it came to it, Hypercard's scripting language was also pretty powerful.

MY WISHES (to keep the list growing):
1. DYNAMIC NPCs-- I want to make an NPC my friend, make him fight for me, and then make him hate me when I get him mad and attack me. With a little hack I can make a friendly NPC follow me for the whole game, but I can't make him fight for me, and I can't dynamically change him into an enemy.

2. Silly thing here: drag an item from Main to Linked when editing an event. I can't
count the number of times I've suddenly realized I had to change a piece of my event into a link. Also-- be able rename pieces after they are created. Also-- better tools for sorting/maintaining the events in subfolder, as I've quickly started to build a looooong list.

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--Insert pithy quote
here--

you can cut and paste in the event editor.. 🙂 almost as good as dragging

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Response to Gallandro: You can make the game "take control of the player" by disabling mouse and key movemenys, and turning the player icon into pure white (transparent). Then you can make an npc that looks just like your main character and it'll look like the game is controlling the player.

Plus some more ideas:

  1. Keydown events localized into other events. (IE, well this event is going on, you can hit "p" and something will happen
  2. Making your own layouts. It would be nice if you could make your own layout types and be able to put any type of variable in them. Or, be able to do this in main locations and have a transparecy option so you can see the game behind it.
  3. Be able to change the default interact/attack, block, and movement keys

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The word politics is derived from the words poly, meaning many, and tics, referring to blood sucking parasytes.

(This message has been edited by Demiscus (edited 02-19-2002).)

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Originally posted by Demiscus:
**Response to Gallandro: You can make the game "take control of the player" by disabling mouse and key movemenys, and turning the player icon into pure white (transparent). Then you can make an npc that looks just like your main character and it'll look like the game is controlling the player.

Plus some more ideas:

  1. Keydown events localized into other events. (IE, well this event is going on, you can hit "p" and something will happen
  2. Making your own layouts. It would be nice if you could make your own layout types and be able to put any type of variable in them. Or, be able to do this in main locations and have a transparecy option so you can see the game behind it.
  3. Be able to change the default interact/attack, block, and movement keys

**

Second on being able to add a new box to a layout.

Global timer would be wonderful.

I think that's my list, save things that really should be bug fixes (&&tag; values in coordinate boxes, placement of images above dialog boxes...)

Usually keyboard mapping is done by the player. That'd be a whole new set of boxes, tho. I don't expect that to happen real soon.

Did everyone here use WorldBuilder? I once made a terribly intricate game that pushed the envelope and spawned a novel. You played a young mecha pilot starting her day, and the second half of the game was in-the-cockpit combat. I managed to do some pretty tricky coding, but some spots could only be solved by pages and pages of nested and repetitive code.

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everywhere else, it's --
"Nomuse"

The one feature I'd like to see added, more than all the tea in China, would be the ability to change the font/size/color/orientation of all the text in dialogs and the like. Coldstone is great, but c'mon ... system fonts are just "icky".

World Builder was a fantastic application in its day. Ray Dunakin's World Builder creations rank among my all-time favorite adventure games, a testament to just how powerful the WB engine was. The game I'm working on now is actually derived from an idea I originally planned to develop using WB several years ago, but ultimately abandoned due to the lack of color graphics.

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"A wise man speaks because he has something to say, a fool speaks because he has to say something." -- Plato

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Originally posted by Noel Webster:
**The one feature I'd like to see added, more than all the tea in China, would be the ability to change the font/size/color/orientation of all the text in dialogs and the like. Coldstone is great, but c'mon ... system fonts are just "icky".

World Builder was a fantastic application in its day. Ray Dunakin's World Builder creations rank among my all-time favorite adventure games, a testament to just how powerful the WB engine was. The game I'm working on now is actually derived from an idea I originally planned to develop using WB several years ago, but ultimately abandoned due to the lack of color graphics.

**

You said it. If WorldBuilder (it has been ported to the power mac and is, as I recall, now freeware) supported some of the advanced hypercard functions like color, animation, and transition, it would be an engine of choise for text-using interactive.

As a friend of mine puts it; "RPG's don't have role-playing." Don't look for Coldstone to have an ELIZA engine built in, or more than the most primitive interaction with the map world. What it does, excellently, is allow exploration and combat. I have been playing PoG of late and am pleased with how smoothly it all runs.

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everywhere else, it's --
"Nomuse"

Sorry but I don't agree.

But let me spare myself a discussion and hold on another week or two for my first beta ok?

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Most of all:

"Ally" versions of each AI type. They would behave normally, except that they would be on the player's side instead of the monsters (being able to switch from friendly, to nuetral or enemy would also be nice).

Second: Better access tools. I was doing a pixel based access experiment and it took forever. Another improvement would be multiple levels of access (so that flying things can go over trees, but ground things can't.)

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