This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.

61

Coding / ds_grid resizing

« on: August 30, 2006, 08:55:01 pm »

I'm planning on making a set of scripts that use the ds_grid functions to function as matricies for manipulating sets of points (good for games that use lots of drawing, just might be an interesting way to store information).

Anyway, as you might know, there is a problem with the ds_grid_resize function - and when multiplying matricies, they often get resized. So, rather than manually having to create a new matrix, or manually resize every column, is there another way around this problem? (I'm thinking nested for loops to resize columns and rows, but I really don't want to have to do that just to resize a matrix).

Oh, and here are a list of scripts I'm planning on making, if you're interested:

matrix_create (returns a new matrix)
matricies_are_multipliable (returns true or false)
matricies_are_addable (returns true or false)
matrix_multiply (returns -1 if not multipliable, otherwise returns a new matrix)
matrix_determinant (returns the determinant of hte matrix - i'm probably gonna use diagonals for 3x3 matricies and then expansion by minors for anything bigger)
matrix_inverse (returns a new matrix)
matrix_scalar (returns a new matrix - but multiplies the values by a scalar, not by another matrix)

Everytime a matrix is returned, the original will be destroyed.

Might be useful, at least it's good programming practice.

62

Audio / Mario on the Piano

« on: August 28, 2006, 01:36:08 am »

Check it out - the beginning of the platform theme on the piano. I editted out some background noise in FL Studio and enhanced the piano's sound. (It's my keyboard, not an actual piano).

Not quite finished yet. Tell me what you think! (It's one of the harder video game pieces - the hardest one I've played is the Super Mario World castle theme, I still can't really play the part with the huge arpeggios).

http://64digits.com/users/scooternew/Platform_Theme.zip

63

Coding / How to Ask For Help and Fix Your Coding

« on: August 25, 2006, 12:08:55 am »

Guide by Scooternew

Hi, Scooternew here to tell you that you suck! Naw, not really, but if you aren't getting the responses you want while asking for programming help, chances are that you didn't really present yourself in a good manner or give enough information while asking for help. So, I've created a small "guide" that anyone should internalize and go through before creating a topic asking for help - just some simple things. This is mostly directed towards GM users, but is highly applicable to anyone else who codes.

Identify the Problem
Before you can even try to fix anything, you must identify what the problem is. Is the game running slow? Is a piece of code just not doing what it is supposed to be doing? Is an error thrown? Basically, if what you expect to happen doesn't happen, you have your problem.

Narrow it Down
You have a whole game's worth of code. So, what you need to try and do now is to find out what is causing the problem. A good way to do this is to comment out code that you KNOW isn't causing problems. Try and see if you can force the error to pop up again - and if you can, then you in what general vicinity of coding your problem lies.

Use Logic Before Posting
Ok, so now you know what the problem is and where it appears. You've gotten quite far - halfway there. So, now that you've clearly identified the problem, chances are you might know exactly what needs to be done to fix it. Think - oftentimes de will point out exactly what is missing. Say something is the wrong color - chances are you typed in the hexadecimal value wrong. Check for missing semicolons - use what errors and des tell you to try and figure ou what the problem is.

Post Here
Chances are, by here, you SHOULD HAVE figured out a solution to your problem. But if not, then you can post here, at ZFGC asking for help. Make sure you always include information such as if GM, your version and whether registered - if not, what language you are using. Post what the problem is, the general code area in which the error pops up, and what you'd like to happen. Post what you suspect the problem might be, to help other community members narrow down the exact cause of the error. I've seen the following post before:

this dsn't work:

Code: [Select]

include iostream.

And that's the end of it. That doesn't do ANYTHING to help anyone else.

So, in closing:

1. Try to figure it out and fix it yourself.
2. Ask for help intelligently and post any informatino you can. Help people help you.


---

Guide by TRW

This topic is prompted because of the number of topics in this section that have simply been vague, unworkable, or uninformative lately. If you want people to help you, then give them the information that they need in order to help you.

1) Identify the language. There's a topic in the stickied section that says this, for crying out loud, but I don't know how many topics I've read that don't follow this simple rule I've seen. A lot of topics, the first post is, "Please state what language you're working in." This is because you NEED TO STATE WHAT LANGUAGE YOU'RE WORKING IN. If you have a problem in Visual Basic and don't say so, people may assume it's GML and give you an answer that yuo won't be able to do anything with. It frusturates you AND the people trying to help you.

2) Explain what you're trying to do. I can't stress this one enough. "Help it doesn't work" doesn't say what you're trying to do. "Link isn't responding properly" is pretty close to a topic I just read. The first three posts were, "What's not working right?". Try and be as specific as possible. People can't read your mind. They don't know what you're trying to do. They may get lucky and figure it out, but there's no guarantee. "Link doesn't work right; I'm attempting to make him do a backwards somersault when you go <- <- X X C, but it's not working." is a lot better.

3) Identify the script/object that you are workign on. (Or post code)
If you give people a gml file / a visual studio project/workspace / etc. to help them isolate your error, tell them WHERE to look. Unless you're just giving them a small block of code, tell them EXACTLY where the code is broken, to allow them to be able to fix it faster.

4) Explain the error you are having.
"Link isn't working right." does not really tell people what is wrong, exactly. "When I try and make link do a backflip, he does a forward flip instead." Is a little bit better. "It crashes when Link does a backflip" is another example. Tell them WHAT HAPPENS and WHAT goes wrong. It will make it a lot easier for people to figure it out.

5) Tell people what you have tried so far.
This saves them time from trying the same things, or perhaps, can give them insight into what the nature of the problem is. The more they know, the more they can help you.

6) http://www.zfgc.com/forum/index.php?topic=7918.0 <-- Read this, and make sure you have followed these guidlines for debugging before you post your topic. You can often solve your own problems faster than you could wait for someone else to come up with a solution for you, if you actually continuosly attempt to solve the problem.

7) If you continue to try and work out the problem after your problem has been posted (much advised), keep your topic up to date with what changes you've made and what new things you have tried.

After someone helps you, THANK THEM. Even if you don't think they'll come back into teh topic, they have taken time out of their schedule to work through your problem for you. The least you can do is give them a little thanks.

Good luck coding!

64

Entertainment / Best Video Game Soundtrack?

« on: August 18, 2006, 12:16:38 am »

Post your favorite video game soundtrack and song, and why.

Mine is Chrono Trigger, by far.

65

Other Discussion / This is Hilarious

« on: August 11, 2006, 06:38:25 am »

http://www.quizgalaxy.com/quiz.php?id=41

A simple myspace thing - but the things on the gravestone are absolutely !@#$% hilarious!

66

Discussion / Super Smash Brothers [Working Title]

« on: August 11, 2006, 05:25:53 am »

Yes - THE ultimate Super Smash Brothers has begun production. Here is the team so far:

Lead Programmer: Scooternew
Lead Spriter: xero

xero is a great spriter, and I'm glad to have him working with me. I saw some sample work he did, and his style is cartoonish, animated, and looks as if it'll fit the style of the game perfectly! I believe that xero will be the ONLY spriter for this game, unfortuantely, but if alright with him, I may have some professional modelers/spriter friends of mine help make and design backgrounds.

I'm currently waiting for him to make the Kirby walking, running, jumping, double jumping, roll dodging, and air dodging sprites so I can start the base coding. Here is the way I'm planning to do it:

Each characters animations, all of them, will be stored in one sprite. I will have a large number of animation variables: such as the animation start, animation end, looping, repeat, if the animation has changed, and if it should link to another animation. It's a interesting way to approach it, but it'll be better overall this way. (I've taken a few cues from Damizean's Sonic engine, but I was planning on doing this anyway). So, all this info will be stored in a text file. There will be a text file for each unlocked character. As for the unlocked characters, the text files will be uploaded to an unknown URL and downloaded once you unlock them. This way, I don't have to store ALL the informatino in the gm6, I can load it on demand.

As for now, I am intrested in you, the community, and what following ideas you can contribute:

1. Characters
2. Items

I WILL tell you that I'm thinking of having character sensitive items and objects. For example, a cannon might only light with characters who have a fire attack - for example, it's an object, and if Mario picks it up, it'll replace his "b move" (the fireball) with lighting the fuse and shooting the cannon. Also, I might make this online - and include functionality for teams. If so, there may be clone attacks. Mario and Luigi, Link and Zelda - but this is speculation, and probably won't happen. I don't even know if this'll go online. I will release spec demo's though.

Enjoy, and be sure to keep up with this!

67

Discussion / People, Don't Worry About Resources Getting Stolen - and other advice

« on: August 06, 2006, 05:54:29 am »

I've been thinking for a while. I'm probably not going to end up encrypting and zipping all my external resources. Think about it - graphics can be stolen via printscreen or any easy video editing software. Don't try to stop people from stealing your graphics - it'll happen. Just point out that they're using your graphics when they credit themselves, and they'll make themselves look foolish. Any sound can be stolen with a decent microphone, and almost any code can be stolen via probing throughout the memory. I'm going to focus more on organizing and loading the resources most efficiently than encrypting/zipping all my resources, because I'm sure unzipping takes time anyway. In fact, the only thing I think I'm going to end up encrypting is my save file. I think other people who are worried about getting graphics stolen should focus on the same thing, especially when externalizing. I'd rather have an awesome, fast running game than a slowa ss one with graphics that'll take just a little bit longer to steal than regular.

Also, another thing. Do NOT ask to be credited if you rip sprites. It's just organizing sprites that you didn't even make. It takes little effort. If you have huge tilesets, or even small things, you can of course ask for credit, but don't say "give me credit" - say "if you'd like, I'd appreciate some credit for my hard work". Also, I wouldn't really request credit for any coding you make either. You think anyone will find out if you use his/her code and you don't tell? No. If the person is immature enough to steal other people's hard work without, then they need some rethinking to do anyway. And if people are convinced you stole their code, well frankly, !@#$% them. If you've been known to do it in the past, then stop doing it! Grow up! If you didn't, just tell them to screw off - and even post your own code to show that you did it. Accepting help every now and then is nothing to be ashamed of, it's how you learn. And just as well, using 30 different "engines" (which aren't even engines), really doesn't teach you anything. It gives you an incoherent, sucky game that just doesn't work like you want it to.

These things are really important in game development. I hope you people take them to heart.

And don't go around prancing about game titles, what you want in your game, anything. Make the damn game. By yourself. Don't just add Link walking and then quit. I have not seen one GOOD Zelda fangame finished. Not one. Finally, if you are a spriter, don't be an !@#$% - help people out. No one can get anything done without SPRITERS

68

Discussion / Game Title

« on: August 05, 2006, 09:37:39 pm »

Yay! After long hours of hard thought, I've finally come up with a title for my game.

The Legend of Zelda: Midnight Phantasm

I hope you like. And I hope to have a demo ready for next z3 - I'd love to have my game in z3. Development has started getting somewhere, at a slow pace, but still somewhere. I'm still in great need of spriters though, so if anyone would be willing to help that I haven't asked already, please PM me. And I need those Link carrying sprites still, hehe.

Just wanted to post because I'm in a good mood that I got some stuff done today.

69

Other Discussion / z3

« on: July 28, 2006, 04:04:31 am »

Sorry, I've been gone for about a month and have almost no idea what z3 EXACTLY is besides an e3 type rip off for this forum - is it just to display games and stuff, I just want details.

I'm an outsider, .

70

Coding / [Request / Solved] Abstract

« on: June 16, 2006, 02:18:05 pm »

Well, I'm learning Java. Anyway, it's very similar to C++. I'm just wondering - is an abstract class (in C++) one that can't be created itself, but just passes information onto derived classes, which CAN be created? That's what I know so far, but I don't know for sure.

Man, C++ is so much better than Java.

71

Other Discussion / You Have A Life?

« on: June 10, 2006, 08:58:07 pm »

You have a life? ARe you athletic or cool or popular or not? JW.

72

Discussion / Game Maker's Downfall

« on: June 10, 2006, 06:42:52 am »

While I love Game Maker, and will continue to develop with it, there are two places I feel it is lacking. The safety department and the speed department.

GM seriously needs typecasting. So damn bad. When an aquaintance of mine on the GMC performed a series of tests, comparing GML to a similar language which allowed you to declare variable types, it performed almost 4 times as slow. GM's numbers are alyways automatically doubles (which lose precision).

Second of all, safety. GM stores stuff in the memory statically. Nothing changes. There is no encryption to GM. Look at this following video - it's a picture of a test room in my game, and then a simple memory searcher/changer. All I had to do was search for a double which changed the way I probed it in game, and viola - I foudn the address at which one of my variables was stored. And I could change it. In fact, if you have a memory viewer, you can probe code you see in game (like a show_message), and even see a person's code! While I don't support this method, as it is cruel and dishonest, it just shows GM's crappy encryption (none, actually).

So, sit back and enjoy the video.

Video of me probing GM

73

Coding / [Request / Listing] "Cannot Access" - WHY THE HELL NOT? (C++)

« on: June 09, 2006, 01:13:31 am »

Code: [Select]

#include <cstdlib>
#include <iostream>
#include <string>
using namespace std;
class Car {
      public:
             int gas;
             int mileage;
       
};
class Motorcycle : Car {
      public:
             Motorcycle(string aname);
             string name;
};
Motorcycle::Motorcycle(string aname) {
                              cout<<"Your Motorcycle: "<<aname<<endl;
                              name = aname;
}
int main() {
    Motorcycle Harley("Harley Davidson");
    cin.get();
    Harley.gas = 20;
    Harley.mileage = 9000;
}

Ok, so I was reading, and teaching myself how to make a derived class and constructors and deconstructors. But, for some reason, it says that gas is inaccessible. Why? It is public.

[mod edit: added C++ to the title]

74

Coding / [Request / Solved] A Lot of C++ Questions

« on: June 08, 2006, 06:48:08 pm »

First, let me say thanks to aab and Helios for helping me with my learning C++. I appreciate it. Enough to repay you. At 7:00.

Ok, now onto the question(s).

1). Memory. Stack and heap. What code gets allocated in what? For example, if I just had a simple int main() and declared a variable, would it be in the stack or the heap? What are global variables in C++? Where do they get allocated?

example

Code: [Select]

int main() {
       int variable = 10;
       int *ptrToVar = &variable;
}
Where would the pointer get allocated to? Where would the regular variable get allocated to? The stack or the heap? When do things get allocated to the heap?

What is the point of dynamic memory allocation? Why must you use a pointer to do this? Exlain everything about this (my book did a sucky job of explaining this). For example, I know how to dynamically allocate

Code: [Select]

int main() {
   int *ptr = new int;
  //blah blah
   delete ptr;
   ptr = 0;
}
(And I just set the ptr to 0 just for safety).
Where does this get allocated, the stack or the heap? What would you use this for?

2). Classes

What is the point of making member funcitons and member variables public or private? If you don't want a user to call the function, just don't do it - I don't see the reason for having to make it private. Just like if there were a bridge, you wouldn't jump off, even if there weren't a gate stopping you from doing it.

Explaining everything about const, and why it works, how it works, please.

Why would you want a pointer to an instance? I don't get it. Explaining dynamic memory allocation with instances too, please. For example:

Code: [Select]

class Pen {
   public:
      int inkLevel;
      string brand;
      void break(int inkLevel);
       
}

void Pen::break(int inkLevel) {
      if(inkLevel > 0) {
           inkLevel /= 2;
     }
}
int main() {
     Pen *myPen = new pen;
     myPen->inkLevel
///blah blah
Please explaining everything about constructors and deconstructors.

If anyone knows of a website which explains how much memory each variable type takes up, that would help greatly.

75

Graphics / All Of The LTTP Tiles

« on: June 08, 2006, 03:00:02 am »

Correctly sized, in order, in tiled form, here are all of the LTTP tiles, inside and out. They are separated because in Game Maker, you can't load backgrounds that are too large, or an unexpected error will pop up because the memory is too overloaded. Most links should contain approximately 7100 tiles! Anywho, click away.

Outside:

Grass, Dirt, Stone
Houses, Trees, Hedges, Dungeon Entrances
Trees, Small Trees, Dungeon Entrances
Cliffs, Hyrule Castle Exterior, Water

Inside:

Floors, Bookcases, Walls
Dungeon Stuff
More Dungeon Stuff
More Dungeon Stuff
Hyrule Castle
More Hyrule Castle

76

Coding / [Request / Listing] Passing Objects Through Functions w/o Copying or Changing

« on: June 06, 2006, 05:55:47 am »

I just got C++ for dummies and I must say it is pretty good (even though I don't understand a few things). Either way, say I had a class, and I had a non-member function. So, I want one of the paramaters to be an instance of the class, yet I don't want to actually copy one, so I reference it with a pointer. Well, using a pointer as a paramater (reference or dereference) allows you to change the argument passed through the function. but I don't necessarily want to do this. Is there a way to prevent this?

Dereference example:

Code: [Select]

void fixFlatTires(Car *myTempCar) {
      myTempCar -> removeOldTires();
      myTempCar -> addNewTires();
}
Reference example:

Code: [Select]

void fixFlatTires(Car &myTempCar) {
      myTempCar.removeOldTires();
      myTempCar.addNewTires();
}
And say that removeOldTires and addNewTires change the amount of tires you have or something. Say I don't want it to change this amount. But, as a pointer, it changes the values. Is there a way aroud this?

77

Other Discussion / I'm On the Most Awesome Vacation Right Now

« on: June 02, 2006, 04:16:27 pm »

Yep. So my dad and I are in Miami Beach for vacation. We swam in the ocean, snuck into a private 5 star hotel and hung out by their pool (+ water slide), ate gelato, saw "The DaVinci Code", walked around and made fun of people, went to the stores, went to a museum. And tomorrow, we are going to Key West. Whoohooo! Man, I love vacations. We also saw the national spelling bee I've ever seen. It was hilarious.

I love vacations. And Florida. And the ocean.

Anyone gone on good vacations lately?

78

Other Discussion / C++ Book? I really need your help, ZFGC.

« on: June 01, 2006, 02:43:33 am »

Ok. Online C++ tutorials really suck. They are all not in-depth and don't explain the concepts to the level that I'd like to understand them. When I learn something, I like to learn why it works and how it works, rather than just understanding that it works. So, does anyone know of or recommend a book about C++ that might have ANY of the following?

1) Talks about compilers, what they do, how they work. How C++ is compiled, e.g.
2) Talks about memory consumption. Talks about how much memory each variable type takes up, pointers, etc.
3) Goes in depth about all C++ functions and syntax. Explains information in depth and gives thorough examples. Explains everything there possibly is to know about C++ (pointers, encapsulation, variable declaration, dynamic memory allocation, inline functions, just how everything works. And so on and so forth).
4) Talks about libraries and how they can extend the functionality of C++ and make it easier.
5) Talks about Win32 programming, how handles work, OpenGL or DirectX, etc.
6) Talks about general computer science and how computers operate. This is REALLY important, because it will help me in all languages I know (including Java, GML, and the little C++ I already comprehend).

THe book doesn't have to have all of the above stuff, of course I expect it to have some of the above, but the above are things I'm most interested in learning. Of course I'll just let bygones be bygones, but I really want to know the extent of the language and everything it has to offer. GML is great, no doubt, but I'm ready to dive into something completely new. I already know some C++, and I'd happily teach myself more, but online tutorials plain out stink. I'd like to be able to make applications that contorl my computer at a lower level, and GML simply can't do that. Furthermore, while I will most likely still use GML to make games, I'd like to be able to make games in C++ as well (for the obvious speed increases, no memory errors, being able to add more), but also I can make DLL's in knwoing C++ that I can access in Game Maker! I pretty much know GML back to front, so teaching myself will present a new hobby. I'm a great learner, but only when the correct teaching materials are provided, so ZFGC, please help me out on this.

(I know helios will be delighted to see this post .)

79

Other Discussion / All Your Base Are Belong To Us - Quote, Where Did It Come From?

« on: May 31, 2006, 02:31:27 am »

Ok, I always say it, everyone always says it - where the this quote come from? Who originally said "All your base are belong to us", and why - was it some crappy translation or something?

80

Other Discussion / Statistics Info, Please Post and Help Me Out

« on: May 30, 2006, 08:50:36 pm »

Ok. I need to find out some statistics information as a little bit of my summer work to review any statistics we went over last year. So:

A). What is your favorite fast food restaurant?
B). What is your favorite clothing store?
C). What is your favorite hobby?
D). Are you a boy or girl?
E). What is your favorite day of the week?

Well, if you are interested, here are my answers:

A). Wendy's
B). American Eagle
C). I put piano, but it's a tie between piano and sports
D). I'm not a boy, but a young adult. Big differnece, .
E). Saturday, it's when all the parties are.