Okay, thanks to hardkore for the info on myst style games.

I am considering buying the program, but i would like to know more about the direction it will take.

- In the explanation of the program it is saidd that one could also do educational stuff with it. Are any of you doing that?
- How about doing puzzles? (probably a stupid question)
- I would like to have timed newsflashes floating over the screen. Are dialogs the only way?
- If I bumb in to an npc can the reaction to that event be a dialog screen or is that limited to a location only?
- can npc's follow a path over different maps?
- Based on certain events an NPC might look and behave differently. Can this be done?
- Based on certain events a map might look differently. Do I need to create a different map for each possibility?
- Can I send a message to an NPC not on the screen? Or are globals the only way to do that?

TIA

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Well I can answers some of your questions.

I am in the planning stages to develope some educational products with the library club at the school I work in, but mostly I'm trying to finish the script for my RPG.

As for different maps that depend on the outcome of certain events, you would have to create a different map for each outcome or at the very least use global events to remove or add sections to your map once (if ) certain critera are met.

If you wish to bump in to an npc and have them react a certain way you would need to create different reaction dialog for the different ways the npc could react.

You can have the npc's appearance differ, but you would have to create art for each npc's different look.

I'm not to sure about the other questions.

Good Luck

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Quote

Originally posted by jeroen goulooze:
**Okay, thanks to hardkore for the info on myst style games.

I am considering buying the program, but i would like to know more about the direction it will take.

- In the explanation of the program it is saidd that one could also do educational stuff with it. Are any of you doing that?**

Already on completed. Check out Kit's ABC Adventure (just scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the link).

Quote

- How about doing puzzles? (probably a stupid question)

Depends on what you mean. There are some puzzles of sorts in Pillars of Garendall (the game by Beenox to showcase Coldstone), but I'm not sure what you mean.

Quote

- I would like to have timed newsflashes floating over the screen. Are dialogs the only way?

Hmmm... No. IF you put them in you interface (i suggest this, or your map will be covered) You can make them one of the buttons available on the interface and have it do nothing. I don't understand exactly what you want, though.

Quote

- If I bumb in to an npc can the reaction to that event be a dialog screen or is that limited to a location only?

Well... If the NPC is not hostile, dialogs are possible. In fact, it is how the quests, etc. are advanced. You just put this into the NPC contact section. Remember to give the NPC 0 life. I don't know if dialogs are possible for hostile NPCs...

Quote

- can npc's follow a path over different maps?

Not really, however, you make an NPC walk towards a spot on your path, then remove and replace it with another one that will walk towards somewhere else (this assumes that your path curves, as NPCs can only go to one set of coordinates, at which point you would replace the NPC to send the new NPC somewhere else). When the NPC hit the edge of the map you could remove it and load a new NPC on the next map when the player goes there. But an actual single NPC can not go onto a different map.

Quote

- Based on certain events an NPC might look and behave differently. Can this be done?

Yes. However, again, it won't be the exact same NPC. It will have to be removed and a new one added in its place. As for ACTING differently, this can usually be accomplished with a few globals, using one NPC.

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- Based on certain events a map might look differently. Do I need to create a different map for each possibility?

No, not at all. Just place things that might change through the stamp placement action and remove them (or add new ones) as the situation requires.

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- Can I send a message to an NPC not on the screen? Or are globals the only way to do that?

Define message. If you mean inform an NPC that a quest is complete, yes, you would use globals. Globals are the most important part of coldstone, so use them well.

Hope some of this was helpful and sorry for the length.

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CI-I@()s
(url="http://"http://www.evula.org/world-of-cha0s/")The Homepage of Cha0s(/url)

Quote

Originally posted by CI-Ia0s:
Depends on what you mean. There are some puzzles of sorts in Pillars of Garendall (the game by Beenox to showcase Coldstone), but I'm not sure what you mean.

Take a look a cosmic memory. Puzzles are fairly possible; just gotta think outside the box.

Quote

I don't know if dialogs are possible for hostile NPCs

They are not. You would need to remove the hostile NPC and replace it with a passive NPC in order to utilize dialogs, or else make it apart of a seperate event in which you fake the NPC talking to you.

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Thanks for the answers!!!

This sounds all very promising. There are some things I do not like that much (lousy way of treating time for instance) but hopefully a new release of the program will bring more options.

I think I go for it.

Jeroen Goulooze

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Quote

Originally posted by jeroen goulooze:
**Thanks for the answers!!!

This sounds all very promising. There are some things I do not like that much (lousy way of treating time for instance) but hopefully a new release of the program will bring more options.

I think I go for it.

Jeroen Goulooze

**

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CI-I@()s
(url="http://"http://www.evula.org/world-of-cha0s/")The Homepage of Cha0s(/url)