Learning Coding

So I went away and practised using my new found coding skills. This is what I produced : - Point and click test thing.
That there contains a Projector to view the piece and the actual file too, so you can look at what you like.
If anyone does grab it, make changes etc. Let me know, I am interested.

Another file Help Using Numbers
I asked today if you could set numerical values instead of true and false and Martin kindly showed me how you can do that.
I's my plan tonight to build on that information, to try and work out some elements of gameplay I can design with it and try and produce one of them to learn how to.

So I made that. In that piece I managed to form the bases of a point and click structure, and also force things to not happen until certain requirements have been met, from my experience the basic structure of a point and click adventure game.

In the group meeting we had today, I put forward the idea of this point and click structure and it was well accepted (I think this was possible because nobody else had any other solid ideas).

Anyway the plan with this structure is that the journey is embedded in the narrative of the game. Basically to constitute the 'journey' part of the brief all I think we meet is some sort of travelling. So if in this game if the overall premise is that player is ultimately trying to get from point A to point B.

I see the movement being simply 2D side scrolling, only I'm too afraid to try and work in scrolling, so I'd rather just have sections at either side of the screen that take you to the next area.

I thought to simplify things the different areas could be constructed as different movies. This however brings two main problems straight to me, there is the issue of global variables, I've read somewhere that global variables can apply to multiple movies but I don't know how. The other problem is that I thought you could use a slide transition to move from place to place, that would work well I thought (genius I found a good use for those crap transitions) but, alas, if there was static constant interface that would look damn stupid if it the supposedly static interface slid along with the rest of the screen.

Anyway, back to this simple point and click style structure. We're going between point A and B and in between there is stuff. The only other main requirement of the brief is the use of video. I don't really like this video doodah (means I have to get away from a computer as some point of time, forces elements of realism onto the project, I'd prefer to do a short film if I was going to have to mess around with cameras, but I suppose we need to learn to be able to do these things. Myst made it look good I guess.) Urgh.. where was I? Um.. yeah .. using video, so video can come into it at either key points of the narrative of just eventful things that happen in the game that are easy to film.

The idea was, that I should have stated a while ago, THAT... The basic structure can be laid down, and then as we get more and more ideas, they can be added as we wish, the content can become richer and richer. A beautiful vision I know, I hope it's not only a vision.

So what I really need to do now to push this thing forward is come up with first of all some ideas for the overall narrative. Once that is settled on, designs can begin on the visuals. Also then providing the main narrative is flexible enough any general ideas that could go in as content.

Also from my coding point of view I want to get to know what systems can be used, I want to think up systems that would be enjoyable in the game and also that I know I can do, something mildly ambitious.

Another thing I felt was quite important to mention is, well, I suppose some 'quality assurance' took place today, I'n just showing the thing I made to my group. Although I thought everything on the screen was self evident, it turns out is was not. Some users may not be predisposed to the point and click adventure style, an instructions option at the begging would be a marvellous idea. This also lead me to the idea of having another entrance point into the game, another 'mode' if you will that allows certain things that for gameplay reasons may remain hidden in the game to the user (this goes along with my thinking of rating their morality in the background) to be seen, a kind of 'behind the scenes' version of the game.