Hello all,

I want to inform to you all, that the CUTSCENE Launcher Version 1.2.0, has been released.

CUTSCENE-Launcher Version 1.2.0 is an add-on for GameGuru, which let you show, cutscenes easily during the game play.

If you were looking for a solution to show cutscenes, during your games made with GameGuru, your search is over.

A cutscene or event scene (sometimes in-game cinematic or in-game movie) is a sequence in a video game that is not interactive, breaking up the gameplay. Such scenes could be used to show conversations between characters, bring exposition to the player, set the mood, reward the player, introduce new gameplay elements, show the effects of a player's actions, create emotional connections, improve pacing or foreshadow future events.
[Source Wikipedia - The free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutscene) ]

Furthermore, you may also use cutscene to show the game credits, after finished a game or level; at the beginning of a specific game (game presentation cutscene) or even to show messages with voice over to the player, during the game play.

Features:

- No time limit for cutscene videos
- It automatically resize the videos to show properly with the display resolution of the user
- It accepts Apple QuickTime Movie (*.mov) format, as well as, MP4 movie (*.mp4).
- You may show HD videos with display resolution varying between 1920x1080 pixels to 1280 x 720 pixels (recommended resolutions)
- It’s painless; no coding is necessary; it’s just select, copy and paste.
- It’s works fine on OS Windows 32 or 64-bit
- Documentation in a pdf format, explaining step-by-step, how to use the application.

Bonus: App Path Creator.exe

Notice:This application, at this time, doesn't work for multiplayer gaming, made with GameGuru.



You may order and download the CUTSCENE-Launcher Version 1.2.0, click on the following link:

Direct Store Link: Sorry, the Product is no longer available.

Have fun!
Northern

Does the cmd window always prompt when we use this?

@Wong:

Wong wrote:

Hello Wong,

Yes, unfortunately. Bill Gates is the guilty of this problem. I'm kidding, of course .

The prompt window is an internal problem of the OS Windows, which I do not know why this happens, perhaps for safety reasons, whenever you run a script on OS Windows (remember that during the game play, there will be a lua script file that will request to run an external program via script); so, the dreaded prompt window will then appear, and it will remain opens while the external program called is running).

Nevertheless, if you run the same program, alone, without using a script, just by double clicking on it, it will run, though does not appear any prompt window.

The prompt window could be minimized?

Yes, but when this happens, the OS Windows, it will lock the mouse pointer in the centre of the screen, while the program is running, in this case, during the video presentation.

The prompt window could be hidden?

Maybe, using vbs scripts or another powerful coding stuff, but I don't know how to that, at this time. Sorry, unfortunately, I am not a computer systems engineer. Besides, I think, to do not worth, someone wastes time trying to achieve that.

May I resize down of the prompt window?

Absolutely! Yes, you can, however, you cannot be asking the same, for the people are going to play your video game, to do an equivalent procedure.

The prompt window takes a long time to close?

This will depend on the speed of your PC computer system, the video resolution and video length.

In general, even on medium PC system, it remains open during two to four seconds. In the demo video above, it takes longer to disappear due to screen capture program, which decrease the frames per second of the game, you may notice that, because the character moves slowly during the scene.

I hope this information may clarify your question. If you still have any question, please let me know.

Thank you,
Northern

How is this any different than what we've already had ever since Lua scripting was available? Just wondering because I don't see anything new here.

@tomjscott:

Tomjscott wrote:

Hi,

The word 'New' here does not mean a brand-new concept on something unheard, never ever seen before on the planet, but it is only to designate that this add-on, is more a new product that I have developed, and I am presenting to the community as another solution available to present cutscenes within the game level created with GameGuru at this moment.

Besides, if there are other applications around, which let you show a cutscene during the game play with GameGuru, no problem to me. The CutScene Launcher will be just more one of them available on the market-place.

Furthermore, I made this app to help the people, in special, no coders, to have an option to show or not a cutscene into their game levels, at this moment, if they want to, not in an uncertain future.

Greetings,
Northern

Can't say I would like to pay $7.50 for this when the window pops up, and pulls away from immersion. None the less pretty cool.

I still have yet to complete my research on that popup window, but I believe there is a way around it. Google searches indicate there is a way to suppress it.

to execute some thing with vbs script is pretty easy

make a text file and rename the extention to .vbs


put that code in and BAM! notepad. no pesky window.

it would be very usefull without the cmd window, nice job though!

Hello everyone,

First of all, I want to thank all the comments and tips presented here. Thanks a lot.

shakyshawn8151 wrote:


Sorry, but a tag price of $ 7.50 American Dollars, it's a fair price, in my opinion, for this add-on, the price you pay for a simple sandwich with potato chips out there every day. It's no way a high-priced stuff.

Furthermore, I cannot say I also liked to find about this inherent issue with the OS Windows when I was developing this application, but as I wrote on the previous post, the 'prompt window' it does not remain a long time visible, if you have a fast computer, and if your game has a good game play, maybe some people even do not care about that.

Once again, I repeat: The pop up with the 'prompt window,' it's a problem of the Microsoft OS Windows and Lua script; it's not this add-on. All programing logic, is working properly; I may guarantee to you all, if you follow the documentation directions.

Nevertheless, I'm doing some tests to prevent the prompt window remains open and still, during all video loading time as is at this time. This will not solve the problems, but, for sure might improve a few game immersion during the cutscene loadings. If I find the result satisfactory, I'll update the program soon. Otherwise, if the result does not work fine, unfortunately, this add-on will be kept as it is.

tomjscott wrote:


During the preparation the CUTSCENE-Launcher and GUI-Launcher, I researched and tested several guides presented by other people to resolve the problem. Some of them even worked well outside of the GameGuru, but failed when the program ran via Lua script during the game play.

This issue, the prompt window, it seems simple to be solved, but it's not at all, if running the app from the game level.

Section 812 wrote:


For sure, I am going to test you suggestion, as well. Thank you.

Moreover, the solution using .vbs script I have tested as well. It worked well outside of the GameGuru and FPSCR, but when it was run during game play, caused a mouse pointer locked on the centre of the screen, throughout the video presentation ruining the game immersion as already said before.

Another problem I have found with vbs scripts, was with the antivirus software, such as Sonar of the Norton Internet Security, which does not like a lot of programs that attempt to run external .Vbs scripts files and sometimes prevent their execution at all, because it (The Sonar) 'thinks' the vbs script might be some kind of arcane threat.

Anyway, again, thanks a lot for the suggestions and commentaries.

That's it!

Have fun!
Northern

If anything maybe try to just make the command prompt not pop up on top, and somehow remain behind everything,much like fraps has when you can toggle "Always remain in front"

@shakyshawn8151:

Hello,

Unfortunately, the command prompt window, always appears first, before anything else to start up via batch file or exe file. You may try to minimize it; however, it, firstly, must show up and only after that, it is minimized. The same if you are trying to maximize it.

Since, the prompt window cannot be removed, in no way, before running a software, or a batch file, during the game play, the best solution I have found, and looks like better than previous version, in my opinion, is resize it up dynamically, avoiding the dreaded window, remains stationary on the display until the cutscene video shows up. This fix still won't remove completely the command window, since this is impossible, but, at least seems to me, less invasive to the eyes.

In fact, if I knew that people would care so much about a simple console window that flickers on the screen per few seconds, I would never have launched this program. It's a high level of requirement and suffering to actually low payoff.

Anyway, I hope during this week, to post a new video, showing in action, the solution previously explained above.

By the way, many thanks for the tip on your comment.

Greetings,
Northern

I've not really tried running other exes from lua yet, so could not say if it is possible to hide or not personally. It is normally possible to hide stuff generally though even with DOS via a flag.

Shell = luacom.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
Shell:Run (command, 0)

I have no idea if this will help, but apparently the 0 at the end of Shell:Run will automatically hide the message box...

Hope that helps. This reminds me of a DB app I did several months ago for a menu screen with a video as the backdrop. I never continued with it as it sometimes failed to launch the app from DB and TGC then promptly added a default menu immediately, lol. Of course it doesn't have a cool video running though, they really could spruce up the intro a lot more quite easily.

@DVader:

Hello,

Initially, thank you so much for your comment and help.

Unfortunately, I tried to use the vbs script you have suggested on your previous post; however, it didn't work out. I got several error messages with GameGuru.

Furthermore, LuaCom library use, is miles away from my lua programming skills set.

If at least, the original lua function os.execute() could run vbs script directly, the issue could be easily solved, but that function cannot do that.

I have read an interesting article on this subject on the website Stack Overflow, with the title: "How to avoid popup a window when use os.execute in lua." Below you can find the transcription of the answer.

"The short answer was given by hjpotter in a comment: no, you can't

A longer explanation follows.

"On Windows, executable files come in "two flavors": GUI applications and command line applications. This has nothing to do with the inner workings of the program, but it depends on how the program was built (there is a flag for it in the PE executable header which can be set using a linker option). It is the OS that automatically pops up a console window (the "ugly black box") when a command line application is executed.
The problem with os.execute is that it uses C system function under the hood, which in turn is probably implemented by executing the Windows command shell executable cmd.exe, which is a command line application. Thus every time you use os.execute you are indeed executing cmd.exe. That black box is the console window associated with cmd.exe being executed."

By Lorenzo Donati
Source: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/18798044/how-to-avoid-popup-a-window-when-use-os-execute-in-lua

Thanks once again,
Northern

Hi everyone,

With the great return of the Story Zone to GameGuru, so, doesn't make any sense to me, keep selling it. Therefore, this product is no longer available for sale.

Furthermore, the people who buy this product, however, will continue to receive updates, for free, if any exist from this day forwards, as well as, if you find any problem (not the issue with the command prompt window) with it, please contact me, and I will do my best to solve it. Many thanks for your support.

Consummatum est.

Greetings,
Northern