GF-style Control Method

[Meowster]

I'm in the baby-steps of a new project, and I have the story and everything planned. Now what I'm working on, is how I can innovate with this game.

I enjoyed the Grim Fandango control method, as I thought it allowed a deeper view of the world, and more interactivity.

Now I'm not gonna pretend or anything. I can't program to save my life. Hell, I couldn't program to save somebody elses life. So I need somebody who is good at programming to let me boss them around a bit help me with this one. If it's any good perhaps it could be released as a template.

In case you're some kind of weird freak, and haven't played Grim Fandango.... it's a keyboard control system. I'm not sure if it would work too well with AGS but you never know. We could end up loving it and wondering what we did in life before, when we had no GF-style control system.

I'm thinking this, so far... you can walk up, down, left, right, up-right, up-left, down-right, down-left. By pressing the shift key and holding a directional key(s) you can run in that direction. Yes, it means animating an extra couple animations for the main playable character, but hey. So what?

Anybody wanna help with this? Or to word it slightly more accurately, anybody want to do this entire template for me? But not just me. No no. For the very AGS community.

EDIT: Something else about this control method is that it would have to be directly related to the GUI, as you wouldn't just be able to click "USE INV1 ON OBJECT1", but rather would have to say, press... hm, for instance, Z to bring up the inventory, CTRL/ALT to shift through items and ENTER to select one for the character to hold until he/she presses ENTER again to use it.

And instead of Look At/Walk To/ETC buttons would have to be used, IE ENTER for use, L for look at, or whatever.

See, it sounds complicated. To make, it would be hell. To use, it'd probably be really cool.

[jannar85]

Well, if you look at the demo game, you can find SOME info about this subject.

[Barcik]

And this should help.

[scotch]

I don't think you could make it work very well in AGS, you'd need lots more than 8 directions to make it look right.. which is why it works best in 3d.

[Meowster]

I don't know. I mean, it worked quite nicely in Broken Sword: That One For The Gameboy Advance. Although I think possibly that may have been 16 directions... No, then again, maybe it was only 8.

Yeah, I am pretty sure it was 8.

I think it's definitely worth a try. If I recall, you could only WALK in Broken Sword. However, I think the interface worked quite nicely, apart from the sluggish walk.

What I really need, apart from the links you guys gave, is somebody to do this for me. For various reasons, including that I am lazy and can't program. I know it's an awful lot to ask of a person but you do get the added benefit of knowing that you are doing this for the good of mankind, and I am only exaggerating a little.

[MrColossal]

the majority of the work is done for you tho

just learn how to plug it into the engine and you're golden.

[Vel]

It has already been done in a 2d game, in Shadow of the Comet. Anyway, I'd prefer a mouse orientated interface.

[Meowster]

Would you prefer to use a mouse to play GTA?

You can't say you'd prefer a mouse interface without even knowing the way in which I'd be implementing it. That's lame. That's like spitting in the face of innovation, except replace 'innovation' with the words 'A Keyboard Control System' and 'Spitting in the face of' with 'Saying you don't like'.

Just because you think you might not like something, doesn't mean you shouldn't try it out just in case, because you never know.

Goddamn you bastards anyway. Are you happy that I have to do all this shit on my own now? You know, it's still not too late to throw in a helping hand and write the entire thing for me.

But fine. Fine.

I'll do it myself.

I'll talk to you in like, 500 years, maybe?!