Your own speech type

[gamemaka]

In AGS, you have the ability to change the display messages from Sierra style or Lucas-Arts style, but this is sort of holding you in a box under water with a hammer. There are other ways out of the box isn't there? Is there anyway you can make your own Speech Type. For the game I'm creating right now, when someone says something, I want it to appear on the top of the screen with a picture of them on the left-top and what their saying in a box next to it. Sort of like the stupid Pokemon games? Catch my drift? Anywho, just wondering if it is possible and if so, if someone can help me out. I'm sort of new.

[strazer]

I want it to appear on the top of the screen with a picture of them on the left-top and what their saying in a box next to it.

That's what "Sierra-style" resp. "Sierra-style with background" do.

[Vince Twelve]

Soooo... what you're asking for here is a way to do Sierra-style speech...

Sierra style has the character's portrait next to the text.

From the manual:

SetSpeechStyle
SetSpeechStyle (new_style)

Changes the way in which speech text is displayed. This modifies the setting originally set in the editor. NEW_STYLE can be:
SPEECH_LUCASARTS     speech text over character's head
SPEECH_SIERRA        close-up portrait of character
SPEECH_SIERRABKGRND  close-up portrait + background window for text
SPEECH_FULLSCREEN    QFG4-style full screen dialog pictures

Example:
SetSpeechStyle (SPEECH_SIERRA);

will change the speech style to a close up portrait of the character.

So you're set!

EDIT:  Darn that Strazer and his speedy replies!

[gamemaka]

Dang you guyz! You rok! I must have missed that in the manual, I've read it a gillion times! Anywho, if people have these options, why don't they use them??? Frankly, I'm sick of stupid text over heads. Thats so TEN YEARS AGO!! WHos with me!?

[Krazy]

WHos with me!?

No one...

God knows how old your prefered speech style is too, pffft portraits next to text? That's soooo 12 years ago...

[scotch]

Yes, well, adventure games are so ten years ago, and character portraits are generally used in even older games due to the low resolution of the room characters.

(And people DO use it, play the ben jordan games, or the king's quest remakes, or the hamlet)

[Mats Berglinn]

Because I have only played Lucas Arts games (and AGS games) I prefer to have Lucas Arts speech. It's also much easier than making portraits of the characters.

[fovmester]

Well, portrait-speech must be even older than the LucasArts style. Or maybe they're just as old, I dunno. But if you want something REALLY old-school you should go NO SPEECH-style, like in the old [Space-, King's-, Police- and so on] Quest-games. They just used text-windows where a narrator told you what had been said.

Personally I like the LucasArts style best.

[Vel]

The Hamlet would have used Shadow of the Comet-style speech if Alpha(animating Pixelcat's portraits) and Redwall(coding) hadn't misunderstood me.

[Reko]

Personally, I very much like the Sierra-style dialogue system. I think it works best if you use LucasArts-style for very short exclamations, or ones relating to physical actions.

[DragonRose]

There's also the option to do Gabriel Knight style text- it just takes a LOT of scripting or using a template.

Out of curiosity, have any games used the QFG4 style speech? I haven't seen it used yet.