New text adventure

[catventure]

Hello,

"Even The Devil Must Die" by Mark Hancox (c)2003 Interactive fiction retrogame is ready for playtesting.

This is an offline, parser-based text adventure and runs on Windows XP and above. (English language)
2020 Conversion with "Thinbasic Adventure Builder" by catventure May 2020.

ITo check out and try or playtest here is a download link: http://tab.thinbasic.com/etdmd_test.zip (7mb - includes 3 music mp3's)

**Special Note: When starting the program(s) it's possible that some virus checkers may produce a "false-positive" warning. You may need to tell your antivirus software to create an 'exception' for the game app(s) in order to allow it to run**

Happy Isolation and lockdown,
catventure.

devil.jpg

[catventure]

Posted minor update today:
To check out and try or playtest here is a download link: http://tab.thinbasic.com/etdmd_test.zip (7mb - includes 3 music mp3's)

Regards,
catventure.

[matthew]

Nice game, I played it for about 10 minutes tonight. The music adds a lot of atmosphere to the game, I see it was created by Eric Matyas. I'd listened to some of his music before, he used to post on another forum I used to use.

[catventure]

Hi Matthew,
Thanks for taking the time to try it out.

Regards,
catventure.

[Petr Schreiber]

Hi Phil,

I promoted this on thinBasic facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/thinbasic

Very moody, thank you!


Petr

[catventure]

Please can someone check this small graphic demo adventure game to see if it runs on their Windows system Ok and if the game gfx load and are sized in the graphicboxes properly (centered).
I need to know if the graphics show up as in the below image and if the short video appears in the middle graphicbox when you have typed your first input command into the lower textbox eg: type in "east" (without quotes)
You can exit the video with the <ESC> key or just wait for it to end.


Thanks a lot.
catventure.
Link to demo: http://tab.thinbasic.com/Gfx_Adv_Demo.zip


**Special Note: When starting the program(s) it's possible that some virus checkers may produce a "false-positive" warning. You may need to tell your antivirus software to create an 'exception' for the game app(s) in order to allow it to run**

gfxdemo.jpg

[DirectuX]

Hi Catventure!

centre picture is deformed when resizing the window.
centre picture is truncated at right side when video is playing ( text not fully shown ).
window behaves modal and I feel it very annoying.

voilà

[catventure]

Thanks DirectuX,

Although the video works OK on Windows Vista, my tester has reported same thing. I think it to do with the placement code for the movie I used...
I used the mcivideo.INC file by Michael Hartlef which uses the winmm.dll and I think have my width and height parameters wrong somehow as the movie should be positioned centrally on the graphicbox canvas.
I used the code:

PlaceMovie( 0, 0, twidth*2, theight*2 )

to position the movie, but although works on Vista fine, don't think the co-ordinates right to centrally position movie and size it to fit in the box correctly.
Been really bugging me a while - Maybe Michael can help fathom it or put me on right track?
I am hobby coder not pro.

Regards,
catventure.

[DirectuX]

I think have my width and height parameters wrong somehow as the movie should be positioned centrally on the graphicbox canvas.
I used the code:

PlaceMovie( 0, 0, twidth*2, theight*2 )

to position the movie, but although works on Vista fine, don't think the co-ordinates right to centrally position movie and size it to fit in the box correctly.
Been really bugging me a while

Difficult if you haven't the right environment to test.
Maybe an idea : downsize the video placement for start then gradually increase up to good then display parameters values then includes them into code.
Have you a definition for twidth or theight ? Is it window-based placement or something ?

Edit: I've just looked at your video file : it isn't square but you try to display it in a square place. Maybe it comes from that, the video if height fitted rather than width fitted in your display. Try a square video or try setting fit-width or try setting square ratio or allow more room for video (320x240)

[catventure]

Hi,


On Vista I can play different size vids in my program and youtube vids for instance as long as they converted in .wmv format for the mcivideo.INC commands to work.
And they are positioned and sized correctly by my below bits of code.


Here is the part of the code that loads and plays the videos that I made:

'Plays movie in listview control
'========================
'========================


IF INSTR( checkact, "playmovie2" ) = 1 AND displaymode = 2 THEN
        Local filename As String
        filename = APP_SourcePath + gfxfolder + Mid$( checkact, 11 )
        IF FILE_EXISTS( filename ) = %FALSE THEN
            MSGBOX hwnd, filename + " does not exist.", %MB_ICONERROR OR %MB_OK, "TAB Warning"
            EXIT FUNCTION
        ELSE
            
            Local hCanvas As Long
            
            Control Handle hwnd, %id_listview2 To hCanvas
            
            Local twidth, theight As Long




            Dialog Get Size hcanvas To twidth, theight
            
            MENU SET STATE hpopup1, BYCMD %ID_OPEN, %MF_DISABLED OR %mf_grayed
            MENU SET STATE hpopup1, BYCMD %ID_NEWGAME, %MF_DISABLED OR %mf_grayed
            MENU SET STATE hpopup1, BYCMD %ID_SAVEGAME, %MF_DISABLED OR %mf_grayed
            MENU SET STATE hpopup1, BYCMD %ID_LOADGAME, %MF_DISABLED OR %mf_grayed
            MENU SET STATE hpopup1, BYCMD %transcript, %MF_DISABLED OR %mf_grayed
            MENU Set State hpopup1, ByCMD %transcriptoff,%MF_DISABLED Or %MF_GRAYED 
            MENU Set State hpopup1, ByCMD %id_exitgame, %MF_DISABLED Or %MF_GRAYED
            
            
            OpenMovie( hCanvas, filename )
            PlayMovie( )
            PlaceMovie( 0, 0, twidth*2, theight*2 )
            
            movieon = 1
            Dialog Disable hwnd
            
            Do
                Control Set Focus hwnd,%id_richedit4
                IF GETWINDOWKEYSTATE( hwnd, %vk_escape ) THEN
                    videoescapekey
                    EXIT DO
                END IF
                If IsMoviePlaying( ) = %FALSE And movieon > 0 Then
                    videoescapekey




                END IF
            LOOP UNTIL movieon = 0
            EXIT FUNCTION
        END IF
    END IF
    '==========================

Following alternative code also will work fine on my system:

' Tried using label control INSTEAD and also with label control on top of listview control as below




'Plays movie in LABEL control overlaid over listbox control
'==============================================
'===============================================




    IF INSTR( checkact, "playmovie2" ) = 1 AND displaymode = 2 THEN
        Local filename As String
        filename = APP_SourcePath + gfxfolder + Mid$( checkact, 11 )
        IF FILE_EXISTS( filename ) = %FALSE THEN
            MSGBOX hwnd, filename + " does not exist.", %MB_ICONERROR OR %MB_OK, "TAB Warning"
            EXIT FUNCTION
        ELSE
            
           Local hCanvas As Long 
            
            
            Control Handle hwnd, %id_listview2 To hCanvas
            
            Local twidth, theight, xloc, yloc As Long
            
            Dialog Get Size hcanvas To twidth, theight
            
            Dialog Get Loc hcanvas To xloc, yloc
            
            Control Add Label, hwnd, %ID_textview, "", xloc, yloc, twidth, theight, %SS_BITMAP        
        ' 
            Control Handle hwnd, %id_textview To hCanvas           
            
            MENU SET STATE hpopup1, BYCMD %ID_OPEN, %MF_DISABLED OR %mf_grayed
            MENU SET STATE hpopup1, BYCMD %ID_NEWGAME, %MF_DISABLED OR %mf_grayed
            MENU SET STATE hpopup1, BYCMD %ID_SAVEGAME, %MF_DISABLED OR %mf_grayed
            MENU SET STATE hpopup1, BYCMD %ID_LOADGAME, %MF_DISABLED OR %mf_grayed
            MENU SET STATE hpopup1, BYCMD %transcript, %MF_DISABLED OR %mf_grayed
            MENU Set State hpopup1, ByCMD %transcriptoff,%MF_DISABLED Or %MF_GRAYED 
            MENU Set State hpopup1, ByCMD %id_exitgame, %MF_DISABLED Or %MF_GRAYED
            
            
            OpenMovie( hCanvas, filename )
            PlayMovie( )
            PlaceMovie( 0, 0, twidth*2, theight*2 )
                    
            movieon = 1
            
            Dialog Disable hwnd
            CONTROL DISABLE hwnd, %id_textbox2
            DO
                IF GETWINDOWKEYSTATE( hwnd, %vk_escape ) THEN
                    videoescapekey
                    EXIT DO
                END IF
                IF IsMoviePlaying( ) = %false AND movieon > 0 THEN
                    closemovie( )
                    movieon = 0
                    dialog enable hwnd
                    MENU SET STATE hpopup1, BYCMD %ID_OPEN, %MF_ENABLED
                    MENU SET STATE hpopup1, BYCMD %ID_NEWGAME, %MF_ENABLED
                    MENU SET STATE hpopup1, BYCMD %ID_SAVEGAME, %MF_ENABLED
                    MENU SET STATE hpopup1, BYCMD %ID_LOADGAME, %MF_ENABLED
                    MENU SET STATE hpopup1, BYCMD %transcript, %MF_ENABLED
                    MENU Set State hpopup1, ByCMD %transcriptoff, %MF_ENABLED
                    MENU Set State hpopup1, ByCMD %id_exitgame, %MF_ENABLED
                    CONTROL KILL hwnd, %id_textview
                    CONTROL ENABLE hwnd, %id_textbox2
                    GETWINDOWKEYSTATE( hwnd, - 1 )
                    CONTROL SET TEXT hwnd, %id_textbox2, ""
                    CONTROL SET FOCUS hwnd, %id_textbox2
                END IF
            LOOP UNTIL movieon = 0
            EXIT FUNCTION
        END IF
    END IF
    '==========================

For some reason that I can't figure this code is not displaying the video in the centre box at the correct size in the demo I posted for some people!!
I messaged Michael Hartlef from twitter to see if could help throw some light on it.
There is something I am not understanding correctly probably.

Here is picture of video running perfectly in lower box on mine:
vert_display.jpg


Regards,
catventure.