What is it?

ADVSE is a adventure script and story engine that gives you the ability to write your own adventure games. It's written in C++ as this language combines execution speed and object orientation. You'll have to write a game definition file that directs the game and and create your own graphics, etc. The engine uses an interface similar to the well known LucasArts-like games. You can define persons, rooms, things and scripts. The scripts are written in a simple language fitting to the graphic engine. So you can't do everything with this engine, but you can do everything you'll need for a graphic adventure. The interface is very simple, you can click on things (left mouse button) or look at things (right mouse button). We realized that this is enough for an adventure, so this engine can handle two interface actions per object. When you think of existing adventure games and start to playing around with this engine, you'll experience that this isn't really a limitation.

There is a documentation available. But beware! This is under construction yet and is missing many details. A better source for information is the example game, also available at SourceForge.

The game engine is written in C++ with use of the STL. It is hosted on SourceForge, a great supporter of the Open Source scene.

Features

current

Well, the current CVS version has everything that is planned without the features listed as "TODO" below. The best way to see what it can is to download the source and try it...
Interesting features:

• While using 2d graphics, everything is drawn with OpenGL. That gives amazing fps values even on "old" computers and also the possibility for some interesting effects: alpha values in images or colored light.
• Every vertex of the walkmask may get colored. The mask area is colored with linear interpolation. That way varying brightness levels or colored light can be simulated.
• Persons can walk through any room. That way background animations are possible, you can follow a NPC person through many rooms or create cyclic paths (think about the Monkey 1 merchant on Melee island)
• Game file format is fixed from version 2.2.0 on, so if your game works with version 2.2.0 it will work with all newer versions that are planned yet.
• Except full functionality (a complete engine) for version 2.2.0
• Currently most of the features work, except walking animations, sound and loading/saving. Persons can walk though, it's just not animated.

planned

The final aim of development is a fully functional graphic adventure game engine, like Scumm that is used in the old LucasArts-Games (a free Scumm-interpreter is ScummVM),

Things that have to be done yet (TODO)

A short description in descending priority. Before 2.1.9:

• Definition of costumes instead of simple images for a person.

Later (2.2.0+):

• Stop path search when no way is found (blocked or walkmask has more than one part) and report that
• Animation of figures, turning, talking. Matching script commands
• Make graphical effects for room transitions
• Internal restructuring of class game, also needed for newer save format
• Ergonomics: If select has one line only, choose automatically (done with restructuring of class game)
• Ergonomics: Don't disable interface for last say-command in thread
• Some minor known bugs/features still to be fixed/added
• loading and saving intensive testing
• Look over all fixmes in the code
• Update the documentation, that means write an useable documentation ;-)
• Everything about sound: Background music, Sfx and related script commands

Download game files

Please visit the project's file list on SourceForge.
There you'll find source (i386, linux or windows) packages, and an example game data package.

Screenshots

The shots are taken with the example game.
Just click on an image to open a bigger version.

Links

My homepage
ScummVM free scumm interpreter

Contact

Contact me via E-Mail.