Multimedia questions : videos, musics...

[Simon]

Hello, since my AM full version works, I could try a lot of things, and I can say my playable demo is going well You should be able to try it soon !

I have a few questions about video and music. I've been searching a lot over the forums to try and find answers, but didn't really find what I wanted, so I made a new post...

1/ Videos

Using vid?os in AM is just perfect, everything works when I use videos inside hotspots, and it also works great using VBS + the procedure (playvideowin7).

The real problem is that, when I use the procedure, the mouse cursor changes in a hand, even if I use the VBS code to change the cursor. And on top of that, when I click on the video, it either :
- closes the video and goes to the next frame (which I don't want to)
- or pauses the video (which is not a very very big problem, but not really wanted too)
It seems to be linked to the Windows Media Player functionalities, and I wondered if there was a way to avoid that ???

2/ Music

A good game needs music for the ambiance, so I do need to add music in my game Didn't find any thread on the best way to do that, so I use the following option : frame properties/audio/channel 1 and I add the music.

Doing this, I have a biiiiiiiig problem, and I already saw it on another thread with no solution given :
when the game is saved, and when you load the saved game, the music is not loaded !! You come back to the exact place you were, but no music !

I read somewhere that it was possible to use the "set resume location" instead, but I don't understand how it can replace the save/load function.

So, how would you advise me to add music ?

That's all for now, thanks !

[reneuend]

I wish I had more time to work on your issues. I'll give you my thoughts and possible work-arounds. However, someone like CBSection would probably have a better answer (He builds commercial games with AM).

VIDEO: Since you are running a video in a hotspot, it naturally is expecting to perform some kind of event when you click on it. I don't recall having the issues you are having, but one way to avoid this issue is to use KeyGuard and not allow the cursor to move over these hotspots. It's fairly easy to do this and there examples that came with KeyGuard (not sure if the examples are in the lastest version though).

Audio: I created a plugin for Save/Load Game, but I don't think I handled this issue. I'll have to fix that for a future release.
In order to cook up your own solution, you'll need to be able to KNOW when the game is being loaded. I'm not sure this is possible with the built-in AM Load game functionality. If it is then you could store the current playing ambient sound in a Variable. Create a subroutine that you will call anytime the ambient sound changes. Save the current ambient sound to the variable inside this subroutine. On game load, check this variable and play the sound.

Good luck and I hope you get a better answer.

[Simon]

Hi reneuend,

- Video :
In fact I think you misunderstood me, maybe I didn't explain well. When I use videos in the hotspots, I have no problem, it's perfect. But in special cases, I need to use the "playvideowin7" procedure, and it's with thoses videos that I have the issue (as I explained before, a "hand cursor" appears and I can't change it, and when I click on the video called via this procedure, it either pauses the video or skips it !)

- Audio :
Do you know how to store the current ambiant store in a variable ? Seems to be an interesting solution !
Does someone know if a variable can automatically be called each time a saved game is loaded ???

Thanks !!!

[mercedes]

The real problem is that, when I use the procedure, the mouse cursor changes in a hand, even if I use the VBS code to change the cursor. And on top of that, when I click on the video, it either :
- closes the video and goes to the next frame (which I don't want to)
- or pauses the video (which is not a very very big problem, but not really wanted too)
It seems to be linked to the Windows Media Player functionalities, and I wondered if there was a way to avoid that ???

Hey there..

Where videos are concerned;

When it comes to the cursor outside the frame...I don't beleive there is a way to change the cursor..or control it, with AM default settings..

As for a hotspot cursor change..As Renuend was saying..I think one of the only options, that I can think of as well..is with KG, using Limited Cursor functions..

[Simon]

Thanks Mercedes ! In fact I'm speaking of the cursor INSIDE the frames ! Because yes, when videos are playing, the cursor becomes a HAND, but this cursor cannot be changed with the code "change defaultcursor" !
And when you click on the video, it's skipped, and I don't want to !!!
You can see it if you try my demo...
The cursor outside the frames doesn't bother me, because I made a "skip" cursor. It really is the one inside the frames that poses problem...

Btw, is there a way to go from fullscreen to window mode via an option menu, without using the basic launcher ? I don't need it to be in-game, but in the main menu. I saw "alt+enter" sometimes works, sometime doesn't...

[Simon]

Noone can help me with this ???
I try to reformulate my problem :

1/ Audio

- I want to save the music beeing played in a variable and I don't know how to do that...
- I want this variable to be auto-loaded when a saved game is loaded, and I don't know how to do that too... I saw there is an OnLoadGame function, but I don't understand how to use it.

Edit : I didn't see GM posted a kind of solution for my Audio problem here : http://www.adventuremaker.com/phpBB2/vi ... php?t=6482
Cool ! I'll try this soon Happy ! Still have the following video problem :

2/ Video

- When I add a video in my game (a video not being played inside a hotspot), the cursor is not the one I define with the ChangeDefaultCursor function, but a hand cursor, whatever I do in the code ! ... And if i click on the video, it pauses it or skips it.

2 pictures to explain this :

- top picture : a video is being played, and the cursor is not over the video. It changed as I defined it with the ChangeDefaultCursor function, so it's OK in this case. But !!! as soon as I leave the red zone, it goes to a hand cursor that I cannot change (bottom picture).

- bottom picture : the video is still being played. The cursor is within the red zone and is the hand cursor I don't want ! If I click, it skips the video.

Hope you understand what I mean...

[GM-Support]

Thanks Simon for the screenshots detailing the problem of the cursor during videos.
I am going to look into the possibility of changing this in the next version.

IMPORTANT:
Does everybody agree that in the next version of Adventure Maker the cursor should not become a hand when a full screen video is playing?

Thanks for your input,
Best regards,
GM-Support

[reneuend]

Yes. I agree. It would be nice to have the option to disable the mouse at full screen.

[Simon]

That would be awesome

The best would be :
you can't click on the video + the cursor doesn't appear = mouse totally disabled during videos.

If not possible, then it would be cool to have the possibility to change the cursor, at least. So we can put a "skip" cursor or something that warns the user : "when you click it skips the video".

Well, if everybody agrees with this, of course...

[reneuend]

Peronally, it would be nice to have the option to disable or enable the mouse (programmatically would be okay). But if stuck with only one choice, then disable.

[CBSection31]

Yes, GM, I would agree.

[Vairon]

I agree with reneuend.

[time-killer-games]

I agree, the cursor should be a cursor of the user's choice. Instead of the video being skipped when clicked, that really should be optional. Like a checkbox if the video is skippable, leaving it unchecked if the user doesn't want to allow the video to be skipped. Checked as the default.

[Candle]

http://www.autohotkey.com/

[reneuend]

autohotkey is great for setting up your own macros for your own computer, but I don't see how it would work with a game.

I use autohotkey to switch between headset and speakers.

[Candle]

You can run exe files with AM