10.7.2002 - Working with the BinVars has been a great learning experience for us!

Here's what we have so far:
1. The engine now creates save game files (saving the status of all objects on all maps throughout the game)
2. The engine has been designed so that once development is done for one level, all remaining levels can be programmed about 99.99999% FASTER then the first. We are designing this engine with a future in mind, this way it will easily be able to do all standard routines that the game may ask for. Then anything special can be programmed separately.
3. Tomorrow we attempt to conquer the USE verb! This is the one verb that has many, many different ways it can be used, thus creating a great challenge for us. Don't worry, however, we feel confident in our abilities to take it on!

What's Left:
- Dialogue Engine will be redone!
- Scrolling must be implemented into the engine (the routine itself is complete)
- The sprite layer must be handled properly
- Walking algorithm must be programmed
- GIVE verb must be programmed
- Scripting for animations must be coded (this is our next great challenge)
- Animation director must be programmed (for reading scripted animations)
- Scaling and Masking routines for T*LiB are needed
- Graphic Overhaul (this is where all the graphics are created, this is at the very end of production)
- Final Touches, Music addition

ESTIMATED TIME OF COMPLETION:
November 11, 2002 (Release of first fully functional demo, unpolished graphics)

Final Release Date - Pending

Keep checking in with us for more updates. Please let us know if you have any ideas or suggestions for our project!

10.24.2002 - The inventory is seriously 100% complete (we thought it was before, but we had to add a few things), here's what the inventory can do:

- Items are shown there (max of 30)
- Items can be used with other items in the inventory
- Items can be used with other items on the map
- Items can be given to other characters in the game
- Items can be gathered through the scripting engine
- Items, when combined, create a new item and eliminate original two
- Inventory is scrollable
- Items can be used to invoke the scripting engine

Also, programming is running very smoothly with these few exceptions (minor problems that need to be addressed)

- The graphic buffers used in QBasic were too large so we are converting to an XMS Buffer (thus, we've developed our MoveInXMS Routine)
- Scrolling routine needs to be rewritten in Assembly (we've been experiencing a few problems with that)
- A PutInXMS Routine must be developed (with transparency) to compensate for the loss of our QBasic Buffer (programming on that is about 50% complete)

The game is fully playable as of right now and the first map can be completed (without the graphical animations), however we still must do the following:

- Re - code the dialogue engine
- Create a text centering / coloring routine for multiple character dialogue
- Code the scaling algorithm
- Code the walking / path-finding algorithm
- Fix the above problems
- Polish up the Scripting Engine
- Finalize Graphics and music

The Demo Release Date may be pushed back a bit, we will keep you posted and remember don't forget to vote, your input counts!

10.26.2002 - The results are in for our first poll: "What do you value most in adventure games?" and here are the results:

Hilarious Dialogue - 13%
Entertaining Storyline - 13%
New and Original Characters - 0%
High Quality Music - 0%
Easy and Comprehensive Controls - 13%
Great Graphics with Smooth Animations - 38%
All of These Should Be Stressed Equally - 25%
I'm Not a Big Fan of Adventure Games - 0%

This means that our scrolling engine (currently in development) will be created to ensure smooth, 100% flicker-free animations. Also all animations will be drawn with great care to ensure optimum results.

The dialogue and storyline are in development and will be as hilarious and entertaining as humanly possible.

As expected we will strive to maintain a balance between all of these!

11.07.2002 - Here's a list of what you can expect to see within the next week or so:

- TWIGZ Map Files with individual palettes (and an included constant palette for characters)

- PutEMS routine for T*LiB that will allow us to use EMS as a large array so that we can PUT any area of EMS with transparency (this would have been done in XMS but the XMS Memory Manager only allows 2 pixels to be read at a time)

- Costumes (that's what LucasArts calls 'em anyway) A costume is basically a sprite, for instance our main character. His costume consists of all movable parts of his body (head, arms, legs, torso). Each sprite in TWIGZ will have its own costume that will be stored in XMS and read using an offset table. The scripting engine will determine which part of a costume is shown, and when it is shown!

- With the above comes the constant updating of our scripting engine

What to expect a bit further down the line (two to three weeks from now):

- Walking algorithm using box matrix calculations (we're a bit afraid of this one ;o)

- Scaling algorithm for sprites (T*LiB)

- Final coding of the dialogue engine (along with the use of the "Talk To" verb)

- The "Give" Verb (will be quite simple, just need to have other characters on screen before this can work)

- Parallax Scrolling

- Z-Buffer Calculations to determine if the character is behind or in front of certain objects (we're a bit afraid of this too)

11.12.2002 - The Dialogue Engine is near completion, along with the Text Wrapping Routine for showing the dialogue on screen.

The Text Wrapping Routine:
- Wraps text according to dramatic cues and commands programmed into each script.
- The routine checks for off screen coordinates and makes sure that all text fits on the screen.
- The text routine calculates the length (in pixels) of each line of text and centers it above the character who is speaking the text (in his/her text color)

The Dialogue Engine:
- Calls upon the Text Wrapping Routine
- Can call scripts while text is being shown
- Will incorporate the use of costumes
- Will include a command that has the speaking characters mouth moving along with the text

The Mouse Problem is currently being fixed (the mouse is placed on top of all other sprites in the buffer before PCopy is executed)

Expect our work on COSTUMES to begin tomorrow, this is possibly the most important aspect of the TWIGZ Engine, more on that soon.

BUG 3 - The XMS Bug (Arrrrrrrrggggggggg!)
STATUS: Pending
The XMS Bug occurs the first time TWIGZ is run after a boot up. What happens is that the information the engine stores in XMS when running, is not stored properly (this can be solved by exiting and re-loading the engine). We think that if we Allocated XMS then CLEARED it all, before we put any data into it, this would be fixed. We will work on that tomorrow too!

11.21.2002 - We have developed a new custom file: Costume (*.cos) files. These files include all sprites related to a specific character on a specific map. For instance if TWIGZ is in a room and in that room he gets surprised, the costume of TWIGZ for that room will include all the sprites that make up the surprised animation (along with other animations for that character in that room).

The Costume Format: [*.cos]
- A costume file is saved as follows:

1. Total Number of Sprites
2. Sprite Offset Table
3. Sprites

When a costume file is read, all information is loaded into XMS where it deciphers all the above information. The total number of sprites is used in a FOR NEXT loop to store all the sprite offsets in the variable [SpriteOffsets(TotalNumberOfSprites)] Then when a desired sprite is to be read from XMS, the Engine finds the offset from the above variable and reads from the XMS memory at that position. It reads until it reaches the offset of the next sprite offset.

These costumes are loaded into XMS before the map is loaded and shown on the screen!

The Engine knows which sprite to load based on calls by the TWIGZ Scripting Engine. These commands are still in the works, so expect more on this soon!

12.31.2002 - The Collision Detection Routine was modified and now works 100% Perfect. It can determine the intersection of any two lines regardless of their slope. The problem with the 30 walkable polygons (from above) was fixed as well, and proved to be a simple matter of miscalculation.

The next new implementation, our pride and joy, is the new Shortest-Path Finding Algorithm. This algorithm can take a map, divided into connected convex polygons, and find the shortest path from any point on the map to any other point. It can then tell the character exactly how many polygons it must walk through and which ones to pass at which time. This was a key element in the engine that we were struggling with. It now, however, works perfectly!

We're right on track for our January 15, 2003 beta demo release.

For an idea of where we're getting the basis for our algorithm check out Path Finding In Complex Maps And The Black Art Of Linear Algebra It's a great resource!

1.20.2003 - The dialogue engine has been giving us a few problems ... all that we have answers for and will be programmed in the next few days. The next integration will be moving mouths and gestures to go along with the dialogue. Below is a list of the additions needed before completion.

1. Completion of Dialogue engine including animated costumes representing mouths moving and hand and facial gestures
2. Animation Timers (needed to insure that all computers run TWIGZ at the same speed)
3. Implementation of a scaling algorithm for characters as they move in and out of the distance
4. Completion of the walking algorithm

THAT'S IT!! That is all that is left for the TWIGZ Engine! Keep an eye out for more details!

3.3.2003 - Well it has been a while but ... we weren't sleeping! We've got some HUGE news! Check out the latest advancements!

The Costumes Work:
- We designed a mouse driven costume designer that allows us to load a sprite sheet and divide all the sprites into different costume parts. They are then saved in a ".cos " file format with an offset table that lists each costume part numerically and its offset and length in the costume file.
- This file is loaded by the TWIGZ Engine (the offset table is stored in XMS and so are the costume aspects)
- This allows for blazingly fast animations and space saving techniques. Now we can have one body and multiple heads can be placed on it for all different types of animations. All body parts can be changed on the fly!
- These costume parts are called upon by game scripts when needed. For example: If TWIGZ interacts with a door then the Open Door animations will be loaded by a script. The script engine needs a bit of work

The New Point-in-Poly Collision Detection Routine:
- This technology allows for FAST collision detection and clickable area detection. Now the TWIGZ Engine can easily detect which walking box has been selected and then decipher how to get the character there.
- If the characters detection point leaves a polygon then he has collided with its edge and cannot go any further
- We still have to add a routine for estimating the polygon closest to a point clicked if that point is not inside a polygon
- We still have to add a routine for changing destinations on-the-fly

New Walking Box Format Works:
- A new mouse-driven walking box designer was created to designate the walkable areas of a map. These boxes' vertices are saved in a ".box" format along with their Connectivity Matrix and their Connecting Midpoint Matrix for use with the walking routine

New Walking Routine Works:
- Walking routine can get a character anywhere a person clicks by walking through the walkable areas of a map
- Uses global variables so that the map can scroll at any speed and the character will be walking on or off screen
- The TWIGZ Engine KNOWS where to go using a Path-Finding System that deals with a (NumberOfPolys) x (NumberOfPolys) Matrix containing the next walking box any given box is connected to
- The Engine then gets to that destination by walking through the MIDPOINT of the connecting edge of these boxes

With all of this we are EXTREMELY close to a DEMO RELEASE! After we add the above listed things and implement our scaling routine we will be all set. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEARING WITH US! Keep an eye out for some new SCREENSHOTS!

6.12.2004 - Well, it has been a long time but it is finally done. The first release of TWIGZ to the general public is out! TWIGZ Version 0.99 can be downloaded here. I have one request for all people who download TWIGZ, please send me feedback on any bugs, questions, comments, etc. All that information is extremely valuable and I would appreciate it greatly. Once feedback has been collected, I will make all necessary corrections and release the final TWIGZ Version 1.0 along with the TWIGZ SDK (so you kids at home can make your own adventure games!).

BUG 4 - "ah crap ... not again" (Problem with on-the-fly masking routine ONLY in executable)
STATUS: FIXED (missing VARPTR() command)