AAO6: Questions and comments about the future version

[Meph]

That doesn't work in all browsers, yet.

[GanonZD]

Seeing the V6 preview, I'm really getting optimistic about the potential of V6. Soon, there will be few things that AAO cannot emulate from the original AA games. The basic problem maybe is whether AAO allows the creator to move beyond AA, introducing new gameplay mechanics that add new touches to the familiar formula.

What I think will improve AAO in this sense is more advanced, manual control to the user. If one wants to make multidimensional CEs, or make the menus work differently, this is difficult in the current system. And many of the features that we see in e.g. Turnabout Substitution (like the phone calls activated using the "Check" button) cannot currently be made in AAO, as far as I know.

That's why I suggest introducing (alongside the current, less manual and more user-friendly options) an "advanced" section in the "action" list. This should allow e.g. CE-like frames, but where the users can specify themselves to which frames pressing arrow or PRESS buttons will direct the player; a bit like the "ask player to select and answer" action, only with buttons instead of answers. As it is very manual, it would also be relatively easy to implement, and as mentioned, the classical CE event block should still be available for non-advanced, user-friendly use.

Another necessary addition is a "ask a player to point an area" action with a BACK button, allowing the user to decide to which frame this BACK button directs the player. This is especially important when one has to make close-up examinations during investigations. Also, a similar option should be available when presenting evidence, as this would be useful during psyche-locks.

Finally, as mentioned in the previous example regarding Turnabout Substitution, the "Check" button should be able to redirect players to other frames.

As mentioned, these options should only be for "advanced" use and shouldn't replace, but supplement them.

[Unas]

Thanks for the feedback.

However, moving "beyond" AA gameplay is not my objective at all : designing a system open to such evolution would be very different to the way I designed AAO.
Basically, in AAO, a trial is represented as a set of data, and the player reads that data to generate the game. This makes the implementation of trials much simpler (just a sequence of frames, basically), easier to understand and manipulate, safer, and most importantly easier to display in a friendly editor since I know its stucture. However, it implies that any gameplay mechanic has to be implemented by me in the player.
On the contrary, allowing gameplay evolutions would require to consider a trial as a script, that is a sequence of instructions. That's what PWLib does, for example - but having a user-friendly editor for PWLib is out of the question...

So, AAO is inherently limited because of its nature, and if I were to make it "extendable" without rethinking it entirely, it'd become a mess.
For example, regarding the check button. Currently, the data structure is simple : each piece of evidence has a list of check pages, each page having its own content.
If I were to implement what you're suggesting, I'd have to say "each piece of evidence has either a list of evidence or a pointer to a frame", which is possible but feels completely unnatural, since they're two completely different kinds of data. And doing a lot of small changes like this would made the trial data very messy, as in very hard to understand.


Among what you suggest, the only thing that is feasible - and in fact, partly done in V6 - is the back button for the pointing action.
In AAO6, this back button can be enabled when in a psyche locks conversation - however it doesn't use a target frame setting, but automatically exits the psyche locks conversation.

[GanonZD]

Ah, okay.

But what about close-up examinations?

And BTW, will you also implement broad backgrounds for investigations?

[Meph]

But what about close-up examinations?

Do you mean in an investigation when an object gets examined and you take a closer look at it to examine it in detail? You can do that already?

Or do you mean the 3D models of all the evidence? While it's technically possible, no one has the 3D models.

[GanonZD]

I mean the former. In AA. you have a BACK button in this case.

And don't forget my mentioning broad backgrounds.

[Unas]

I mean the former. In AA. you have a BACK button in this case.

Oh, right. No, It's currently not possible in V6 - as I said, the back button is currently only used for psyche locks.
I'll think about it, see if it can be added easily. It shouldn't be too much of a problem, but I'll probably pospone that to after V6 release

And don't forget my mentioning broad backgrounds.

Well, broad backgrounds with animated scrolling are implemented for any frame in V6 - obviously it still works in investigations.
As for examining a location with a broad background, it will just display the whole place on the screen : if your screen is wide enough, you won't have to scroll.
It's not "perfect game emulation", but as I've always said, we're not on a DS here and we've got screen space: let's use it ^^

[A.A. Noire]

It could be nice if one could save two versions of the same case: A public and a private one. The public version would be the one that others can open, while the private one is a newer, non-released version only accessible to the creator as well as collabers. That would allow the creator to work on improving an existing case without having to take it down.

[drthingums]

When, where and how can Logic be used?

[Unas]

When ? Not before AAO 6.1. It won't be implemented before a while, alongside with AAI investigations blocks
Where ? Probably inside AAI investigation blocks, unless I make it a separate feature that could be used anywhere.
How ? I'll think about that in due time

[drthingums]

Why would you restrict a feature like that though? In fact, why not allow case creators to do stuff with Logic that you couldn't do in AAI, like presenting it?

[Mick]

It could be nice if one could save two versions of the same case: A public and a private one. The public version would be the one that others can open, while the private one is a newer, non-released version only accessible to the creator as well as collabers. That would allow the creator to work on improving an existing case without having to take it down.

You don't need to take down a case to improve it. You can still edit it if it's published.

Probably inside AAI investigation blocks, unless I make it a separate feature that could be used anywhere.

Wouldn't it be better to make a version that could be used anywhere? The Logic-Feature is cool, it would be great to use it even in non-AAI trials.

[Unas]

Wouldn't it be better to make a version that could be used anywhere? The Logic-Feature is cool, it would be great to use it even in non-AAI trials.

I agree, which is why I'm still considering this possibility

[Meph]

In fact, why not allow case creators to do stuff with Logic that you couldn't do in AAI, like presenting it?

Presenting would be a bit unusual. You could just do it the way it's done in AAI, whether -- once two facts are merged, evidence is created.

[A.A. Noire]

It could be nice if one could save two versions of the same case: A public and a private one. The public version would be the one that others can open, while the private one is a newer, non-released version only accessible to the creator as well as collabers. That would allow the creator to work on improving an existing case without having to take it down.

You don't need to take down a case to improve it. You can still edit it if it's published.

It would be problematic to make radical changes to a case while it's published. Imagine if Mysterious Sirens and Turnabouts was still publicly available while being edited ; cases undergoing active development are usually a mess. Actually, that was the exact case I thought about when making that suggestion.