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User manual - e-Adventure - e-UCM

1. Figure 26 Set items general view with just one set item in the chapter The edition panel for set items is similar to the one for items but with fewer tabs The Appearance tab is used to choose an image for the set item but in this case no icon is needed Figure 27 There are no restrictions to the size the image of the set item must have http e adventure e ucm es 34 99 http e adventure e ucm es Adventure editor New project File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Tools Appearance Documentation D Dle No name Chapter Title j Av a Scenes Image of the item x lt assets image workshop_table png Graphical preview of the set item Conversations g Advanced features 4 _ Adaptation profiles 4 _ Assessment profiles Figure 27 Set item edition panel in the Appearance tab after setting the image 2 4 2 Information Just like for regular items set items can be documented in the Information tab There is also a Name field this is not used during the game and is also used for documentation purposes 2 4 3 Adding a set item to a scene This process is the same as the one for regular items see 2 3 4 just that instead of adding an Item reference we add a Set item reference Set items can be moved and scaled in the same way too 2 5 Characters Characters are game elements which among o
2. Figure 91 User interface customization dialog buttons tab http e adventure e ucm es 95 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es 4 3 3 3 Inventory This tab allows configuring the left and right arrows that appears in the inventory when it contains more items than could fit in the screen Arrows must be at least 80x48 pixels In addition areas on the screen where the inventory will appear can be configured Top and bottom only top only bottom or none GUI Customization Information Here you can customize how the arrows of the inventory look When not customized default arrows will be used in the game Normal right arrow Highlighted right arrow Highlighted left arrow x Position Top and bottom Figure 92 User interface customization dialog inventory tab 4 3 4 Visualization sub menu select graphic configuration This dialog allows users to choose the graphic mode of the game window Three options are provided Run in a window Run with a black background and Run in full screen mode Figure 93 e Run ina window is the default option The game will run in a normal window of 800x600 pixels dimension The game window will be centered in the screen e Run with a black background will add a black background behind the game window to hide the screen of the user e Run in fullscreen mode only works in Windows systems It will chan
3. e learning group Adventure editor New project 1 lolos File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Tools Appearence Cutscene end configuration Documentation amp av 2 ee k Set of slides of the slidescene Chapter Title gt lt assets animation start Select Create Edit View ae Re Music of the scene a 3 F3 Select Preview ia EndGame wa ChocolateMousse i Brownies Credits S4 Books Y Items amp Set items x Player A Characters E Conversations g Advanced features Ag Adaptation profiles ae Assessment profiles Figure 48 Cutscene edition panel after adding a slide The slide is the opening title for a game 2 7 2 Videoscenes Videoscenes are added in a similar fashion to slidescenes The tabs in the videoscene edition panel are the same that are found in the slidescene panel with the only difference that the asset required in this case is a video file After selecting a file a Play button allows us to test the video and its compatibility with the platform lt e Adventure gt supports some kinds of MOV MPG and AVI files In particular MPG files must use the MPEGI video codec MOV and AVI files can use DIVX4 XVID DIVX3low S Mpeg 4 v2 and DIVXS although further restrictions apply Next formats and codecs have been tested in lt e Adventure gt TIPO DE FICH
4. Items Set items NPCs Player s trajectory Figure 62 Edition of the layer of element references The layer of the player is treated in a singular manner Since the player can move in the scene the lt e Adventure gt engine will assign its layer automatically depending on how far is estimated to be from the observer according to its current position and trajectory To determine whether the player or an element http e adventure e ucm es 66 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es must to be drawn closer to the observer coordinates y of both are compared the lower y is considered to be in the front For example this allows for getting the player drawn before an element when it is supposed to be farther In Figure 63 we can see that when the player enters the scene it is behind the table but after moving towards the bottom of the scene the player is drawn in front However the player s layer can also be set manually just as any other element in the scene by activating the option Allow to choose the player s layer Figure 63 Example of using layers to adjust depth in the scene 3 2 2 Conditions When an element reference is selected in the Element references tab either using the preview panel on the bottom or the reference list on the top there is a button that allows the edition of conditions This allows for setting restrictions on the visibilit
5. Allow to choose the player s layer av Preview of the element location X coordinate 467 Scale 0 525 Y coordinate 53 Figure 25 Scene edition panel at the Element references tab After moving and scaling the Book it now sits correctly over the table in the scene Other settings are available in the reference list Layer The layer is used to provide a sense of depth A lower value means that the element is further from the viewer more information about this can be found in section 3 2 Checkbox This box is used to hide or show the reference in the preview It has no effect in the game as seen in section 2 2 4 e Referenced element This column shows the actual lt e Adventure gt element that is being referenced e Condition This is the condition that establishes when during the game will the reference be visible to the player If the conditions are true the reference is shown and if they are false the element is hidden Conditions are edited as any other in lt e Adventure gt see section 3 1 In scenes with trajectories this panel also allows for the edition of the influence area of an element reference i e the area where the player must be as to be able to interact with the object This however only affects scenes with trajectories and is studied in detail en the Player movement in section 3 8 of this guide Note Clarification about
6. Tools Contents Appearance Documentation T Title paragraph Redcurrants Text paragraph Red currant Ribes rubrum is a member of the genus Ribes in the gooseberry family Grossulariaceae native Image paragraph pssets image fruit_cup_fulll250x337 png Wit E mii The Redcurrants a The Red currant Ribes J rubrum Is a mambar oftha _ gerus Ribes in the gooseberry family a __ Grossulariaceae naliveato_ _ parts of western Europe j Belgium France Germany j T Netherlands Northem taly N rthern Spain and Portugatly tisa deciduous shri _ normally growingtod 1 5 m lall occasionally 2 m wilh fivelobed leaves arranged spirally on ihe stems 4 _ Adaptation profiles ou Assessment profiles Figure 43 Simple content book edition panel after adding an image paragraph http e adventure e ucm es 46 99 meaa lt e UCM gt aS OOdO00d OO00000 wavavateteravavaenesvarerevarateravoseeatseestatersene pate Odg dot t t O00000 3 e learning group http e adventure e ucm es The preview allows us to see the result as it is to be shown in the game We can use the Pand arrows next to the paragraph list to sort them For instance we can place the image before the text paragraph Figure 44 p genus Ribes inthe Qdoseberry family Wnssulariaceac native to _ BalglunFrare
7. al Conversations E c003 Prision Preso2 Rename ae c005 Taberna1 c006 Taberna2 c007 Boabdil PermisoParaEscudo c008 Taberna3 c009 Taberna4 M Asim g Advanced features Ag Adaptation profiles Figure 33 Conversation edition panel with a node selected http e adventure e ucm es 39 99 lt e UCM gt ii T e learning group http e adventure e ucm es When any node in the conversation is selected the lines of the node will be displayed in the bottom part of the panel The add and delete D buttons can be used to add and delete new dialog lines The lines can be then edited in the table Figure 34 I m whispering Figure 34 Conversation line edition The down and up t buttons next to the lines can be used to sort them The first column in the table defines who speak the line among all the characters in the chapter or the player The second column provides a button con configure an audio track for the line to allow for recorded conversations to be played The third column provides a checkbox to select the line to be synthesized only when a voice was configured for the character as shown in 2 5 2 The last column allows for the definition of conditions for when the line should be used the definition of conditions is studied in section 3 1 For every line in the conversation the O button E can be used to def
8. Edit flags and variables menu or using the Ctrl F shortcut which will show a new dialog In this new dialog we use the Add flag button and create the beefGrabbed flag Figure 51 After clicking OK we should have a flag with 0 references This same dialog can be used to add and delete flags or variables for the chapter However to delete a flag or variable it must first have 0 references Besides flag and variable names should be unique have no spaces and start with a letter http e adventure e ucm es 54 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es Adventure editor Manual File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Tools Appearance Documentation Actions D CD e av Image of the item x assets image fish 300x90 png Inventory icon of the item aa Create icon from image ccene Flags amp Variables FO 4o Flag Variable Flags Flag name Please specify the name of the new flag beefGrabed nea Figure 51 Adding a new flag 2 Reference the flag in the conditions We should select the fish element and add a new Grab action to it To do this first click Items select the Fish item form the list go to the Actions tab and click the add button QD next to the action list We should then click the conditions butto
9. According to this license this user s guide can be shared copied distributed and transmitted under the following conditions gt Attribution You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the lt e UCM gt group form Universidad Complutense of Madrid the author but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work gt Non commercial this user s guide can t be used for commercial purposes gt No Derivative Works You may not alter transform or build upon this work Acknowledgements lt e Adventure gt version 1 3 RC2 has been partially funded by the following institutions gt Spanish Ministry of Science through the national research project TIN2010 21735 C02 02 gt Spanish Ministry of Industry Tourism and Trade through the Avanza 2008 2011 program TSI 020110 2009 170 TSI 0203 12 2009 27 gt European Commission through the Life Long Learning Programme LLP and the T Framework program 505469 2009 LLP ES KA3 KA3MP y FP7 ICT 2009 5 258169 gt Complutense University of Madrid research group n 921340 gt Regional Government of Madrid through the e Madrid Project S2009 TIC 1650 lt e Adventure gt lt e UCM gt http e adventure e ucm es Index of contents License 3 Acknowledgements 3 Index of contents 4 Index of figures 7 I lt e Adventure gt basics 9 1 1 About lt e Adventure gt 9 1 2 About this document 9 1 3 Starting out with t
10. animations will be used either for cut scenes and characters The animation editor also converts old lt e Adventure gt format groups of frame images with a common file name NN png NN jpg where NN is the index of the gram to the eaa format automatically http e adventure e ucm es 85 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es The animations editor is accessible through the Create Edit buttons that any animation resource presents Figure 81 Animation editor assets animation master_idle eaa Animation Information Documentation Animaci n del personaje mirando hacia arribal Use transitions Frame Transition details Fee ainaion C red Figure 81 Animation editor The documentation field is used only to provide an internal description of the animation but is not used in the game Under this field the next fields are presented e Use transitions activates deactivates the possibility to include transitions between frames e Slides animation activates a special behaviour for slides adding the possibility to block the next frame until the player clicks on the screen It allows players to read slides at their own pace http e adventure e ucm es 86 99 lt e Adventure gt lt e UCM gt http e adventure e ucm es Under these options the timeline is presented In this timeline frames and transitions are displayed in order Frames can be ad
11. In addition flags and variables of the chapter can be edited using the option included in this menu http e adventure e ucm es 97 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es 4 5 Run menu This menu allows running the games from the lt e Adventure gt editor which is very convenient to test while the game is being edited To do this press on the Run gt Normal option Ctrl R There is also a debug mode which allows running the game with additional information When the game is launched in this mode the current value of flags and variables will be displayed on the left panel Figure 94 In addition the event log located at the bottom of the screen will display events produced in the game All flags and vars Global States Changes id valor AddedCacaoFat false AddedCacaoMass false AddedMilk false AddedSoyaLecithin false AddedSugar false CanExamineNotebook false CanUseNotebook false EnteredKitchen false FinishedKitchenJob false FinishedLibraryJob false FirstCustomerHasDessertDish false FirstCustomerHasMainDish false FirstCustomerSatisfiedDesser false FirstCustomerSatisfiedMain false GivenCakeDishWithBerriesSauc false GivenCakeDishWithBerriesSauc false GivenCakeDishWithBrownAsideS false GivenCakeDishWithBrownAsideS false GivenCakeDishWithCoatingSauc false GivenCakeDishWithCoatingSauc false GivenCakeDishWithC
12. other characters in the game are not constrained by barriers Conditions can be defined as to when the barrier is active and when it is not When a barrier is active the player will stop just before it until the conditions are not met anymore These elements are edited just like any other in the scene edition panel in the Barriers tab Figure T3 http e adventure e ucm es 78 99 _ lt e Adventure lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es Adventure editor Chocolate File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Appearance Documentation Element references Barriers Active areas Exits Player Movement X coordinate 139 Width Items Setitems Active Areas Player s trajectory F NPCs V Barriers F Exits Figure 75 Barrier edition tab in the scene edition panel 3 8 Player movement The player movement tab and trajectories are only available in third person games The way the player moves in a scene can be configured in two different ways setting an initial position or using trajectories When an initial position is used which is the easier way to do it the player will only be able to move along the horizontal line that goes through that point Besides the payer will start by default in that position This needs no further configuration and all objects can be reached when near their X
13. 2 2 1 As in traditional graphic adventure games the player has an inventory where all items are placed once grabbed from the scene This items can be used later in the game just as if they where in the scene http e adventure e ucm es 27 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es a Adventure editor New project lela x File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Tools Appearance Documentation Actions 9 av HT Image of the item 26 assets image book2_red 200x143 png Inventory icon of the item a see Cenone Graphical preview of the item Chapter Title eona aE amp Set items Conversations g Advanced features kdi i FA Adaptation profiles _ Assessment profiles Figure 20 Item edition panel in the Appearance tab when the item has an image attached Moreover after an image is selected for the item the View button to the left is enabled This option is available for all image assets If we click this button a dialog will appear where we can preview the selected image and it allows from some basic manipulation Figure 21 Previsualizaci n de imagen campo_01 png X El Previsualizaci n de imagen campo_01 png X ada Le E Contigous Threshold s zt transparent colo asta e C Contigous Threshold 15 4 OK cance ox
14. 3 2 Organization of the element references in the scene Section 3 2 covers different features provided in the Element references tab of the scenes This tab is divided in two vertical sections a reference list top and a preview panel bottom Sections 3 2 1 3 2 2 and 3 2 3 cover settings of the reference list Section 3 2 4 addresses the preview panel 3 2 1 Layers The order in which elements referenced in a scene characters items and set items are drawn can be configured This feature is important to represent depth z coordinate in 2D scenes like those present in lt e Adventure gt games A layer is the order in which an element will be drawn in the scene Element in layer 0 is the first to be drawn and therefore will be perceived as the farthest from the observer player To change the layer of each element reference go to the scene and click on the tab Element references The layer of each element is shown in the first column of the list of references You can alter the layer of an element by clicking on buttons up T and down on the right see Figure 62 l Adventure editor Chocolate File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Appearance Documentation Element references Barriers Active areas Exits Player Movement Allow to choose the player s layer Hall Renamed av Preview of the element location
15. 4 Importing an existing game as a new project Using the File gt Open menu the starting dialog will be displayed allowing us to open eap or ead files When an ead file is selected we will be prompted to choose a folder where to extract its contents http e adventure e ucm es 12 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es This menu can also be used to import games previously exported as Learning Objects LO or executable jar files To do this the zip or jar extensions should be selected within the dialog 1 3 5 Running a ead game in the engine or from the editor As stated earlier adventure games can be exported as ead files These files are the ones supported by the game engine To run the games in such files the game engine can be launched and a dialog that allows for the selection of the game will appear Figure 4 By default the Exports folder will be selected but this can be changed by click in the Browse button This dialog will show all the ead files in the selected folder selecting one of them will show detailed information about the game and double clicking will launch the game eC eAdventure Game Launcher This is the list of available games in the location you have provided Paniel and the Chocolate based Sauce Adventure LD This is the description of the game currently selected This adventure describes the experiences of a young cook Paniel who is enrolled on a coo
16. Assessment profiles Figure 40 Simple content book edition panel in the Book content tab There are three different tabs in this book edition panel e Book content the contents of the book paragraphs images etc are edited in this tab http e adventure e ucm es 44 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es e Appearance the looks 1 e graphic assets of the book including the background arrows etc are edited in this tab Figure 41 e Documentation this tab allows for the documentation of the book for future reference and the information here is not used by the game engine r l Adventure editor New project 1 l gt E X File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Tools Contents Appearance Documentation 9 D e av Background image of the book J assets special DefaultBook jpg Select view Image for left normal arrow Image for right normal arrow x lt assets special DefaultLeftNormalArrow png Select l View x lt vies Image for left over arrow Image for right over arrow J assets special DefaultLeftOverArrow png _Select view 3 Vie Preview Figure 41 The Appearance tab in the simple content book edition panel In this example we will create a book th
17. F Setitems Active Areas WJ Player s trajectory mini Figure 76 Player movement tab in the scene edition panel The scale of the nodes is used to create a sense of depth in the scene making the player seem bigger or smaller depending on the current node If there is a path connecting two nodes with different scales the player will be draw with a scale equaled to the pondered mean at every point The speed with which the player travels along these sides can also be modified by changing the length of the side the number that appears over the line Barriers only affect the trajectory 1f they directly cut a path Objects can only be interacted with 1f their influence area intersects the path The influence area is edited just like other scene elements Influence areas are also applied to exits and active areas Influence areas can only be edited while the element is selected in the Element references tab Figure 77 Active areas appear in blue http e adventure e ucm es 80 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group 4 Adaptation profiles Items Set items _ NPCs Player s trajectory 4 Assessment profiles dii Figure 77 Editing the influence area of an element reference in the Element references tab 3 9 Timers Timers allow triggering blocks of effects periodically or after a specific amount of time has elapsed To configure timers click on Advanced
18. Scenes TS List of assessment rules aE Cutscenes Id Importance Has conditions Repeat asessment rule AC SatCus 1 50 i A Ni sae S4 Books SatCus 1 100 F Add timed rule SatCus 2 50 eG Items SatCus 2 100 F ReadLDBook amp Set items sR Characters Concept Effect The student talks with Rocio Text to be printed E Conversations Second Conversation g Advanced features List of properties Bg Adaptation profiles Id Value Var Flag i t oH Assessment profiles aly assess choco Rename ae ba Figure 65 Assessment profile edition panel For the email system to work the game creator must configure the SMTP service for a valid email account This can be done for Gmail Hotmail Yahoo or any private provider The necessary data is either publicly available or must be asked to the system administrator Changing the profile type will change the data model used changing the variables that can be modified as a consequence of the rules New rules can be added with the add button QD next to the list of rules There are two different kinds of rules Regular rules A regular assessment rule Figure 66 has the following fields Id the id of the rule This must be a unique within the profile and valid e Importance Normal by default the importance can range from Very low upto Very high Conditions This are the set of conditions that must be valid for the rule to be trigger
19. adaptation rules includes a description and the initial scene of the chapter for that rule Figure 69 This information is edited directly in the table of adaptation rules In the lower part of the panel there are two tabs The LMS state tab allows for the edition of the conditions that must be met by the variables in the LMS for the rule to be triggered Figure 70 The Game state tab Figure 71 is used to modify the values of flags and variables in the game when the rule is triggered These modifications are done at the beginning of the chapter Adventure editor Manual File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Tools Adaptation profile Profile Type Normal Profile Titulo del capitulo Scenes Var Flag There are no elements in this table List of adaptation rules Id Description a Biers rer Game Stat z Adaptation profiles Sttements over flags adaptation profile or Figure 69 Adaptation profile edition panel after adding a new rule http e adventure e ucm es 75 99 _ lt e Adventure Ea lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es LMS State Game State Figure 70 Adaptation rule edition panel LMS State tab LMS State Game State Statements over flags Var Flag al Figure 71 Adaptation rule edition panel Game state tab Besides
20. and easy to access manner Books can be displayed at any time during a game and are of two basic types Simple books This books are edited directly in the lt e Adventure gt editor and are made up of paragraphs titles unformatted text bulleted lists and images The contents are spreed into different pages as needed and are easy to create e Formatted text books This books are used to present documents created by an external edition tool with support for RTF or HTML files such as Microsoft Word or OpenOffice The document will be displayed in full screen and the content will not be automatically divided into different pages this is up to the creator HTML files can also be created directly within lt e Adventure gt as shown in section 3 11 2 of this guide 2 6 1 EXAMPLE Create and edit a simple content book The first step 1s to create a new book of this kind To do this we select Books in the structure panel and then click the add button QD When asked for the kind of the new book we choose Simple content book The new book edition panel will appear Figure 40 Adventure editor New project 1 oa el X File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Tools DN D e Contents Appearance Documentation Chapter Title There are no elements in this table T Scenes Hi Cutscenes A MB E a pF Adaptation profiles ae
21. and next frames the previous frame disappears and the next one appears progressively Horizontal the previous frame moves towards the bottom of the screen and the next frame appears on the top Oo Vertical similar to horizontal but in this case movement is from left to right http e adventure e ucm es 87 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es Frame Transition details Duration ms 900 Figure 83 Properties of a transition in the animations editor At any point the Preview button can be clicked and the animation will be played from start to end OK and Cancel buttons are used to save or discard changes respectively 3 11 2 HTML editor This editor can be accessed when a Formatted text book is created When a local resource is used to create a book page this can be created directly in the editor by clicking on Create We can also edit these files even if they have been imported from an external source by clicking on Edit It must be noted that when HTML documents are imported these must not contain Meta data since rendering problems may occur The editor follows a WYSIWYG philosophy what you see is what you get The editor allows adding resources as images in the documents modifying text fonts etc Figure 84 HTML Editor C Angel curro Version1 2 Projects Chocolate assets styledtext eadventure_ html Editar Ver Fuente Formato Busqueda Ayud
22. character besides the player can take part in a conversation Just like in classic Lucas Arts games sometimes the player might be presented with a list of options to choose from These options correspond with the following line the player will utter The path followed by the conversation will change as a consequence Conversations should be bound to a character to be triggered when the player talks to it To do this first a new conversation element must be created by selecting Conversations in the structure panel and clicking on the add button The conversation will then be then get bounded to the character by adding a Talk to action in the character s Action tab Conversations have a graph structure made up of a set of nodes and the links between them All conversations start at an initial node and follow a linear path one node is read after the other Bifurcations can be added to the conversation adding special nodes named option nodes Circular paths can also be created to repeat parts of a conversation e g until the correct answer to a question 1s given Nodes in a conversation use different graphic representations depending on their type and can be linked to each other There are three basic node types e Dialog nodes This nodes have dialog lines that will be read by the characters and player in the given order This nodes are displayed as circle for the case of the initial node an
23. coordinate The other option using trajectories requires the creator to explicitly draw all the paths for the player This is done by first defining the nodes or points of interest along these lines and the lines from one to another There is no limit in the number of nodes lines or loops but it is strongly advised that they are kept to a minimum for efficiency sake When editing the trajectory of a scene there are several tools at our disposal Figure 76 These tools are over the preview of the scene They are in order e Edit nodes this tool is used to select move and scale nodes as well as creating new ones e Edit sides this tool is used to add new sides paths from one node to another to the trajectory Sides are created clicking one node and then another http e adventure e ucm es 79 99 ee http e adventure e ucm es e Select initial node this tool allows for the selection of the initial node in the trajectory This is the node where the player will appear in the scene e Delete this tool is used to delete any node or side by clicking on it Adventure editor Chocolate File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Tools Documentation Element references Barriers Active areas Exits Player Movement D e Use trajectory or initial position Use trajectory First Chapter Advanced features Show hide components 4 PEA F Items
24. cursors action buttons and the inventory 4 3 3 1 Cursors Any of the default cursors used in the game can be customized by clicking on the Select button Only restriction to be considered is that cursors must have a size of 32x32 pixels Otherwise cursors could be rendered unexpectedly in the game engine http e adventure e ucm es 94 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group Here you can customize how the mouse looks for different events in the game When not customized default cursors will be used in the game View cursor View cursor View cursor View cursor Figure 90 User interface customization dialog cursors tab 4 3 3 2 Action buttons This tab allows configuring any of the default action buttons in the game e g hand button for use grab or use with actions Buttons should be at have at least 40x40 pixels dimensions Each button has two images one is used when the button is in normal state and the other is used when the mouse is over the button GUI Customization Here you can customize how the action buttons look When not customized default buttons will be used in the game Talk button Normal talk button View button View button Use grab button Normal use grab button x lt View button mHighlighted use grab button x lt View button Examine button Normal examine button x lt View button
25. games 1s interesting that the player can grab objects and store them in the inventory to use them by themselves or in combination with other interactive elements in different parts of the game You can define these behaviors in lt e Adventure gt with effects generate and consume http e adventure e ucm es 63 99 lt e Adventure gt lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es object When an object is in a scene and a generate object its applied over it the object disappear in all the scenes that is referenced in the current chapter and appear in the inventory allowing to simulate that the object has been picked up The Grab action performs this behavior by default The effect consume object extract the object from the inventory preventing to perform more actions over it It may happen that you want to show an object that has been picked up in other scenes of chapter This behavior can t be implemented using a single object due to once the object is grabbed won t be showed again in the chapter Let see an example The main objective is to collect the book created in section 2 3 1 in the Office scene and place it on the table that is in the scene Restaurant First you have to create an active area named tableRestaurant in the scene Restaurant active areas are parts of the scene that can be interactive more information in section 3 6 boxed one of the tables
26. increase its value in 3 units http e adventure e ucm es 61 99 lt e UCM gt sa stsnaaaaaaataaaaasss e learning group http e adventure e ucm es 3 1 8 Other effects There are many more effects in lt e Adventure gt besides the ones used to modify the values of flags and variables Figure 59 However the effect edition panel provides documentation for each of them that is directly accessible to the user before adding them to the game Usage Enhance attractiveness of games by adding sound to actions e g steps echo when a character moves Effect Description Play a sound Plays a given sound file only once Play an Plays a given animation set of frames Enhance visual appearance of games Can be animation in the position x y of the scene used for example to include elements with selected special effects such as fades which are not supported by the game editor Player speaks The main character 1 e player will say Useful to provide short feedback messages the given dialog line with little effort Character The character selected will say the given speaks dialog line Show text Displays the given phrase in a specific Similar to player character speaks Main point of the scene for the specified time difference is that it allows to select the place gap where the text will be printed in the scene and the amount of time to be rendered these parameters are automatically set
27. j cance Figure 21 View Edit image dialog In this view dialog the background of an image can be removed and made invisible in the game To do this we first click the Select transparent color button and then click somewhere in the background of the image After this two more settings are available http e adventure e ucm es 28 99 __ lt e Adventure gt pr a http e adventure e ucm es E Threshold The threshold gives a measure of how similar the colors should be to the selected one to be made transparent The higher the threshold the higher the number of pixels that will be made invisible e Continuous If this option is selected only pixels adjacent to the one selected will be made invisible 2 3 2 Interacting with items actions Following the previous explanation it is possible to create a basic object However that isn t everything that can be done with an item If we select the Actions tab for an item for instance for the recently created Book item a list of actions will be displayed in the right side panel When an action is selected its details appear in the panel below the list A new action can be added by clicking the add button QD Besides when the player left clicks any item and this is also true for characters in lt e Adventure gt it results in the player character reading its description This description can be edited in the Documentation tab If the g
28. mouse pointer is over any interactive element the cursor will change and a brief text may also be displayed Figure 5 Example of a contextual interaction menu in an lt e Adventure gt game Some elements e g exits see section 2 2 3 can be interacted by clicking the left button of the mouse To interact with other elements the player must right click or equivalent behavior in Mac systems on it leave the mouse left button pressed for a couple of seconds or make a double click only in Windows systems Then a contextual menu with different interaction options will appear Press on any of the options of this menu to trigger the interaction There is a structure called Inventory where all the objects collected by the player during the game will be stored This inventory can be accessed by moving the mouse cursor towards the bottom or the top of the scene although this behavior is configurable see section 4 3 3 3 To display the game menu press the Esc key http e adventure e ucm es 14 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es 2 My first lt e Adventure gt game Once a project is selected and the editor opened the editor window will be visible Figure 7 We will start by studying the options available in the editor To the left we find a structure made up of collapsible panels used to organize all the elements in the game as well as a handy set of edition tools Figure 6 The
29. or Eggs or both where grabbed Assuming the beefGrabbed fishGrabbed milkGrabbed and eggsGrabbed flags are activated when grabbing each of those elements respectively the condition should be represented as shown in Figure 55 http e adventure e ucm es 58 99 lt e Adventure gt lt e UCM gt S een eee eee renee Oe een EAT EEE e learning group http e adventure e ucm es ell Conditions The action Grab will become executable when the next condition is satisfied yE fishGrabed is active y mikGrabed is active OF yE eggsGrabed is active Figure 55 Creating a complex expression with the condition edition dialog 3 1 5 What can be done with conditions Conditions can be used in almost every part of lt e Adventure gt games for example In actions for objects and active areas In conversations for each line In barriers to activate or deactivate them To change the behaviour of an exit for example activating one exit or another in the same place In references to elements allowing the elements to appear and disappear as needed To change the appearance of an element by activating or deactivating specific appearances Figure 56 http e adventure e ucm es 59 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group 3G assets image ish 300x30 png Select C view 9 assets image dish_fish 300x142 png Se
30. some points of the game animate the object The object will remain highlighted until the scene is changed Move player Makes the player walk from the current Adds dynamism to the games position to a specified destiny on the scene x y Move a Makes the character walk from its character current position to a specified destiny on the scene x y Move an Interpolates the object from its current object position to a specified destiny on the Interpolation scene x y Object can also be scaled and animated Interpolation speed is configurable The object will remain at the destiny position until the scene changes Launch a Launches the selected macro Allows for the creation of set of effects to macro be triggered together Cancel action Prevents default effects to be executed For example adding a Cancel action effect in actions to a Grab action will avoid consuming the object from the scene Effect with The next effect to be triggered will be Allows for introducing simple random probability chosen randomly between a list of two behaviours in the games The probability of each effect can be customized Blocks the game for a given time gap Figure 59 Table with all the effects available in lt e Adventure gt 3 1 9 EXAMPLE Clarification about effects consume object and generate object Grab objects and place them in different scenes In simulations and adventure
31. that already appears Figure 1 Adventure editor Manual File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Tools D C De Appearance Documentation Element references Barriers Active areas Exits Player Movement a O a O a Titulo del capitulo a Scenes Convert to irregular area A X coordinate 622 Width 220 Y coordinate 447 Height 61 2 Items amp Setitems Se Characters Conversations A _ Adaptation profiles a8 Assessment profiles Active Areas Figure 60 EXAMPLE Pick up and place objects in different scenes Adding to active areas to the scene Restaurant You have to add a Grab and Use with action to Book object The action Use with have to include a consume object for Book and an activate flag for bookOnTable Figure 1 http e adventure e ucm es 64 99 lt e Adventure gt lt e UCM gt sis e learning group http e adventure e ucm es Adventure editor Manual File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Tools Appearance Documentation Actions D O De Titulo del cap tulo Effect description onsume object Book Activate flag bookOnTable Active when conditions are not Figure 61 EXAMPLE Pick up and place objects in d
32. the adaptation profile provides a mechanism to modify the initial scene and variables whenever it is selected for the chapter Figure 72 This can be used to change the initial scene and values of flags and variables without a connection with an LMS This can be used to provide off line adaptation of games by choosing a different profile for each different version of the game Adaptation profile Profile Type Jnitial State Normal Profile m SNE pann l lt Not Selected gt o Flags state F Var Flag Action Var Flag There are no elements in this table Figure 72 Static initial state edition panel in an adaptation profile 3 5 3 Choosing the active profiles of the chapter Once the profiles are created it is important for them to be selected for the chapter This is modified in the main component of the structure panel the Chapter edition panel Figure 73 http e adventure e ucm es 76 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es Adventure editor Chocolate File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About 5 O De Title of the chapter First Chapter onan The game includes only one chapter Assessment file of the chapter 3 assess choco Adaptation file of the chapter x adapt choco Initial scene of the chapter StartGame ue Cutscenes oS 7 Books Items amp Set items x Player Spe Characters E Conv
33. to select an image like the one in Figure 12 visible Choose a background image Buscar en jp background a roa i book background cyanbook_bg jm kitchen_bg i library_bg m redbook_bg restaurant_bg workshop_bg Nombre de archivo hall_bg jpg Archivos de tipo Image files png jpg bmp wbmp gif Preview of the background ox _ __concet_ Figure 12 Asset selection dialog for the scene background This kind of screens the dialog is used to select a valid resource for the file system an image in this case It must be noted that background images must be at least 800x600 as previously established The lower part of the dialog shows a preview of the selected image By clicking OK the image asset will be automatically added to the project http e adventure e ucm es 20 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es Besides in this dialog a button is preset which makes it possible to have direct access to the resources of the same type already in the project This button is marked as Project and appears on the lower left side of the window Once the image has been added the foreground mask can be selected As shown in the previews image the background has the table and the computer in the front When a character or the player s avatar is there those elements should be draw in front This is done by choosing a foreground image creat
34. until the player presses a button Otherwise dialogs will be automatically advanced When Default action for right click is set the normal behavior when an Jtem or Character is right clicked will apply By selecting Show details a text with the element s full description will be shown Selecting Show Actions available actions for the element will be displayed Perpsective applied sets the perspective to be used in character moving It s recommended using Isometric option because it s more realistic http e adventure e ucm es 93 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es l Ell Adventure data A Adventure data Title of the adventure Adventure title Description of the adventure A Player mode 3rd or ist person Current mode 3rd person When this mode is selected the player is normally painted in the game as another character of the adventure This mode is suitable for the production of common point and click adventures such as the Monkey IslandIH saga Automatic commentaries Check to use automatic commentaries For each conversation line Keep text until user interacts Default action for right click Show details Perspective applied to character and player movement Regular Figure 89 Adventure data dialog 4 3 3 Visualization sub menu customize GUI elements lt e Adventure gt allows customizing some of the elements of the user interface in the games
35. used for indexing purposes Lifecycle and Techincal tab o Version the version of the game o Minimum version non editable value indicating the minimum compatible version of the lt e Adventure gt engine o Maximum version non editable value indicating the maximum version needed to run the game Educational tab o Intended user rol This is the rol of the target user of the game It can take different values Teacher Author Learner Manger http e adventure e ucm es 69 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group o Semantic density This is a meassure of the density of information in the game conentent Very low low medium high very high o Learing resource type The type of resource represented by the game Exercise Simulation Exam Self assessment Lecture o Context The context where the game is applicable School Higher education Training Other o Difficulty The difficulty of the game Very easy easy medium difficult very difficult o Interactivity level The level of interactivity of the game ranging from very low to very high o Interactivity type The type of the interactivity present in the game Active expositive mixed o Description Description of the educational aims of the game o Typical age range The age range of the target users e g 16 25 o Typical learning time The median time needed to complete the game It must be noted that not all values are required to expor
36. will allow as selecting an effect in this case an Activate effect Figure 57 When clicking OK a new dialog will ask us to select the id of the flag we wish to active http e adventure e ucm es 60 99 With this effect we activate the chosen flag Activate flag Effect Create an activate flag effect Select the effect Select the effect in the creation effects panel Click Ok Creation effects panel aftewards an edition panel will appear We can choose on it the effect we would like to activate among all the effect created in the chapter In addition we can create a new effect For that purpose simple type on it the name of the new effect 4 Adaptation profiles Active when conditions are not p A t profiles Edit not effects Figure 57 Editing the effects of an action selecting the Activate effect 3 1 7 Setting the value of a variable Just as flags can be activated and deactivated through the use of effects variables can be given a value using three different effects Figure 58 e Set value give the variable a pre defined value e Increment var increase the value of the variable by a given amount e Decrement var decrease the value of the variable by a given amount Set value effect Figure 58 Effects to set the value of a variable or
37. 11 2 HTML editor 88 3 12 Polygonal exits and active areas 89 3 13 Other features error dialog and zoom panels 90 Error dialogs 90 Zoom in panels 90 4 Menu options 92 4 1 File menu 92 4 2 Edit menu 92 4 3 Adventure menu 92 4 3 1 Check adventure consistency 92 4 3 2 Edit adventure data 93 4 3 3 Visualization sub menu customize GUI elements 94 4 3 3 1 Cursors 94 4 3 3 2 Action buttons 95 4 3 3 3 Inventory 96 4 3 4 Visualization sub menu select graphic configuration 96 4 3 5 Change adventure mode Convert to Ist 3rd person 97 4 3 6 Delete unused assets 97 4 4 Chapters menu 97 4 5 Run menu 98 4 6 Configuration menu 98 4 7 About menu 98 http e adventure e ucm es 6 99 ii e learning group http e adventure e ucm es Index of figures Figure 1 Starting dialog of the S A Gy CMU CCC OL sess scicaewewesninnswnoricnnsaduceatmeairnonwendeawedalancisnbuewsnenqasenentuanoneoseddecraatend 10 Figure 2 Choosing a project a shows the tab allowing for the selection of a project in the file system and b shows the selection of a recently Opened project ccc eeeeeseesssestsesesneceaeaeaeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesessesseeeeeeseeeeeeeeeeeeegeas 11 Figure 3 Exporting a game as an ead file By default the Exports folder will be selected c cc cceeeeeeenteeeeees 12 Fig re 4 Thoe C Adventure engine start dialog ssiri no ea a ia a a a ao 13 Figure 5 Example of a contextual interaction menu
38. 6 Books 44 2 6 1 EXAMPLE Create and edit a simple content book 44 2 6 2 EXAMPLE Create and edit a formatted text book 47 2 7 Cutscenes 49 2 7 1 Slidescenes 49 2 7 2 Videoscenes 51 2 7 3 Connecting cutscenes with other scenes 32 3 Extending basic games Advanced features 54 3 1 Conditions and effects 54 3 1 1 EXAMPLE A simple condition 54 3 1 2 Variables 56 3 1 3 Global states 57 3 1 4 Condition edition dialog 57 3 1 5 What can be done with conditions 59 3 1 6 Activating and deactivating flags Effects 60 3 1 7 Setting the value of a variable 61 3 1 8 Other effects 62 3 1 9 EXAMPLE Clarification about effects consume object and generate object Grab objects and place them in different scenes 63 3 1 10 Macros 65 3 2 Organization of the element references in the scene 66 3 2 1 Layers 66 3 2 2 Conditions 67 3 2 3 References list 67 3 2 4 Elements preview 67 3 3 Export as a Learning Object LO 68 3 4 Export games as JAR runnable Java programs 70 3 5 Adaptation and evaluation profiles 71 3 5 1 Assessment profiles 71 Regular rules 72 Timed rules 73 Report 74 3 5 2 Adaptation profiles 75 3 5 3 Choosing the active profiles of the chapter 76 3 6 Active areas 77 3 7 Barriers 78 3 8 Player movement 79 3 9 Timers 81 3 10 Custom actions 83 3 11 Built in art resources edition tools 85 3 11 1 Animations editor 85 http e adventure e ucm es 5 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group 3
39. CM gt e learning group lt e Adventure gt lt e UCM gt Aa e learning group http e adventure e ucm es Adventure editor New project 1 coli File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Tools Appearence Cutscene end configuration Documentation Chapter Title Music of the scene a Cutsceneld x Preview V Image not avalaible g Advanced features Ts OS i ALLL IHHL ee Figure 47 Slidescene edition panel The three tabs in the slidescene edition panel are e Appearance this is used to set up the images that make up the slides of the cutscene Slidescenes use animations that can be configured either by providing files with consecutive numbers e g slide 01 jpg slide 02 jpg etc or by clicking the create edit button and using the animation editor see 3 11 1 e Documentation as in other lt e Adventure gt elements the documentation is not used by the game and just provides additional information during development e Cutscene end configuration this tab 1s used to establish what happens when the cutscene ends see 2 7 3 for details Slidescenes are sometimes used as title sequences at the start or ending of a chapter For instance Figure 48 shows the preview of a slidescene that will be used as an opening title in a game http e adventure e ucm es 50 99 lt e UCM gt
40. ERO TIPO DE CODEC FAMILIA DE CODECS SOPORTADO DIVX 4 MPEG 4V XVID MPEG 4V LAVI FFDS VIDEOFLASH NO http e adventure e ucm es 51 99 lt e Adventure gt lt e UCM gt si sii iii e learning group ito Ile adventure e ucm es AVI mpgl ed a PAVE MPEG 4 visual MPEG 4V fmp4 INO a a ima mrsg2viseo wre no Moy __1MPEG 4visuel_IMPBG 4V_1NQ_ MOV H 263 H 263 MOV Figure 49 Audio and video formats tested in lt e Adventure gt In this table there are more results for AVI than the rest of formats But the results about codifications here detailed can be extrapolated to the rest of formats For exmpale a MPG or MOV file with DIVX5 codec will be supported and files with WMV1 won t 2 7 3 Connecting cutscenes with other scenes Just as regular scenes cutscenes can be connected to other scenes in the game This will affect the game in meaningful ways The process is very similar to the one used for regular scenes just that there is only one exit as cutscenes can not be interacted with This is configured in the Cutscene end configuration by choosing on of the available options Figure 50 e Returns to the previous scene if selected when the cutscene ends the game will go back to the previous scene either regular or cutscene If the cutscene is the first in the game an error will arise and the user informed e Goes to a new scene This allows us to choose a new scene to be trigger
41. See Characters E Conversations g Advanced features Ag Adaptation profiles http ae Assessment profiles Figure 23 Item edition panel Information tab e adventure e ucm es 31 99 lt e UCM gt pE e learning group lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventu re e ucm es 2 3 4 EXAMPLE Adding an item to a scene Once an item has been created it can be referenced form anywhere in the chapter For instance a reference to the item can be added to one or more scenes This example shows how to add an item to a scene The first step is selecting the relevant element from the left panel or structure panel In this case we will select the scene where we want to place the item and the Element references tab of that scene in the right side panel Now the center panel shows a list of references on top and a preview of the scene at the bottom Clicking the add button next to the reference list allows us to add a new reference of one of the three element types in lt e Adventure gt 1tems NPC Non Player Characters and set items To add an item to the scene choose that option This will prompt a dialog asking for the specific item that we wish to reference by providing a list of elements of the selected type For this example we will choose the recently created Book item y then click the OK button The item will be added in a default position Figure 24 f Ad
42. a Gi xD F x ule te Mmj Als a a A Different colours Different fornt sizes As weel as images Figure 84 HTML editor http e adventure e ucm es 88 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es Once changes in the document have been saved the results can be previewed in the Preview button that is provided at the bottom of the Contents page You can also adjust the margins of the book by clicking on the Edit margins button that is provided for each page in the book list To improve rendering performance in the games remember to use the Export HTML book feature once the book is ready NOTE The HTML editor has not been developed by the lt e Adventure gt team and therefore we do not provide explicit support for this tool it is provided as is in the aim that it will be useful but we are not responsible for any bug found For more information please visit the web site of the author of this HTML editor http editor kafenio org We thank the authors for making this software available 3 12 Polygonal exits and active areas Exits and active areas can be defined using complex polygons instead of rectangles since version 0 10 This facilitates using exits and active areas when the background image is complex The use is exactly the same in both types of elements To activate this feature select an exit or active area and press on Convert to irregul
43. a formatted text book eeeeeccccccccceeceseseseneeeececeececeseesennececeeceeeceseeesensaeeeeeeseeeeeeeesnaaaeneeeeeeees 49 Figure 47 Sldescone CII ON Panel serieuse nsr aE EEEE ERE EEAO 50 Figure 48 Cutscene edition panel after adding a slide The slide is the opening title for a game ceeeeeeeeeeeeeees 51 Figure 49 Audio and video formats tested in lt e Adventure gt sssesesseseeesessseseerreessrssssesrrrereeessssserereeeesssssseereeres 52 Figure 50 Cutscene edition panel in the Cutscene end configuration tab ccccccccceceeeeeeeeeeeseseeeeesesesteaeaeaes 53 Pigre olL PA TAN anew ota ott cetes eer E naauo5an ok Gausean elciad E S EE E 55 Figure 52 Adding a new condition using an existing flag oc ccccccceccececeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeseeseseeeeeeeeeeeeesesseneaeaaaeaaeaeaes 56 Figure 53 Adding a condition to an action based on the value of a variable ccccccecccccceseesensneceeeeeeeeeeeennnaeeeeeeees 57 Figure 54 Condition edition dialog showing the contextual menu Of a condition esseeseeeessesssssseserreresssssssessrees 58 Figure 55 Creating a complex expression with the condition edition dialog wo ecccccceeceeeeseeseeeseeseesesssnsseaeaeaes 59 Figure 56 An element with several appearances with different conditions 0 0 ecceccccceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeseneas 60 Figure 57 Editing the effects of an action selecting the Activate effect ccc ccccccccceceeesseeeneneeececeeee
44. ail List of assessment rules GP er End of the game w j 120 Max time s e ZI Assessment profiles O Figure 67 Edition of a timed assessment rule Report The rules will produce an XML for a VLE server or HTML report for the student or teacher For example an HTML might look like the one in Figure 68 Incorrect food combination 0 0 14 Tries to grab the fish before the meat is grabbed End of game 0 10 32 Figure 68 A sample assessment report http e adventure e ucm es 74 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es 3 5 2 Adaptation profiles Adaptation profiles are created in a way analogous to how assessment profiles are generated These profiles are used to adapt the behavior or content of the game based on a series of external properties provided by a Virtual Learning Environment VLE When a set of properties has the value specified by the rules at the beginning of the chapter flags variables or even the initial scene of the chapter are modified This allows for the number of elements in the game to be changed the difficulty adjusted etc Just like with assessment profiles the type of the adaptation profile can be SCORM 1 2 o SCORM 2004 The ids of the variables will be fixed cording to the data model of the selected type The definition of
45. ame is in first person the description will appear near the center of the screen The actions available for items Figure 22 are Examine When an object is examined by default the detailed description of the object is shown in the screen Even when not added to the item the Examine action will be available to the player However the Examine action can be reconfigured and this is achieved by adding the action to the list and creating a new behavior for it Grab Once the Grab action is defined for an item the player will be able to grab the object from the scene and place it in the inventory This item can later be used or combined with another object as well as given to another character This default behavior can be overridden by the use of a special effect later described Use This action defines that the item has a use in itself that those not requires another character or object This use can be different for every object and will have unique consequences that must be explicitly defined Use with This action although similar to Use requires the intervention of another item When our item is used with the target item the effects of this action will be evident However using the item with an item different from the target will have no consequences http e adventure e ucm es 29 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es Custom Custom actions al
46. and speaking left this last one is optional e Using animations object to the right object to the left optional e Walking animations walking up walking down walking right and walking left optional When an animation to the left is not provided for an action a mirrored image of the animation to the right is used 2 5 2 Character dialog configuration This panel has several options that affect how the player speaks The first set of options refers to how the text will be displayed in the screen e Show speech bubble If selected the dialogs of the character will be shown inside a bubble just as in comic books e Font front color this button allows for the configuration of the front or center color of the font Clicking the button will open a color chooser Figure 29 Font border color this changes the color for the border of the font Bubble background color this button changes the color for the background of the bubble During the game this will be filled with a semitransparent tone e Bubble border color this button changes the border of the bubble l Adventure editor New project Edit font front color File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About KE Appearance Documentation Dialog configuration 2 B BER EEEE Eee __ _ _ Color of the player s conversation lines Shows speech bubble Ty This b a prewiow text Ine Curr
47. apterN xml 2 2 Scenes and cut scenes lt e Adventure gt chapters are organized into scenes and cut scenes On the one hand scenes are the scenarios or places where the action of the game takes place that is where the player interacts with the objects and characters in the game and these are connected to other scenes by exits On the other hand cut scenes are used to increase the educational value of games and can be either Slidescenes or Videoscenes The first kind is made up of slides or images that are shown using the full screen The other kind the Videoscenes display a video using the full screen too 2 2 1 Adding a new scene To add a new scene the Scene or Cut scene element in the structure panel must be selected depending on the kind of scene that is to be added Figure 8 When the kind of element is selected the list with all the elements of that kind is displayed Besides a button to add a new element appears to the right Clicking on the button adds a new element with a default identifier from now on id The id can be modified by clicking in the Rename button which appears when the element is selected and must be unique only contain letters and numbers and start with a letter This applies to all ids in lt e Adventure gt http e adventure e ucm es 16 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group Adventure editor New project File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configur
48. ar exit area Two new controls should appear just behind the button The first button baa can be used to add a new vertex to the polygon while the second button x4 can be used to remove a vertex Besides in case the scene had been configured to use trajectories see section 3 8 the influence area of the active area can be edited Each vertex can also be edited by clicking and dragging them on the preview panel below Adventure editor Chocolate File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Tools Appearance Documentation Element references Barriers Active areas 21 C D e First Chapter a Scenes Hall Library Workshop Convert to rectangular area Kitchen aa eal GD cutscenes 7 Books te amp Set items a Spe Characters E Conversations g Advanced features Ag Adaptation profiles F Items 7 Exits ae Assessment profiles C NPCs Player s trajectory Figure 85 Creation of polygonal exits in a scene http e adventure e ucm es 89 99 e learning group http e adventure e ucm es 3 13 Other features error dialog and zoom panels Error dialogs Although lt e Adventure gt is now a stable product and has been tested it cannot be guaranteed that it is free of errors and bugs If the editor or game engine crashes unexpectedly an error dialog will be pro
49. area ee o o e e o e o e e e o o o e e o e a o e o e o o e a p o a o o e o o e o o e e o e o o o o o o o e o e e a e o o e o o e o e a o o o s e e e o e e o ee o e e s e e e e e ee ea ee s ere ere ee e ee e eeee eeee lt e UCM gt http e adventure e ucm es The lt e Adventure gt platform User s guide Authors The lt e Adventure gt team lt e UCM gt research group WWW C UCTTN CS Latest version 1 3RC 2 Updated April 2011 lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es e learning group http e adventure e ucm es License lt e Adventure gt is freeware can be used redistributed integrated in your Project event for commercial purposes and or modified under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License published by the Free Free asin Freedom Software Foundation either version 3 or newer lt e Adventure gt is distributed in the hope that it will be useful but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE The full license terms are available at http www gnu org licenses lgp html This document is registered in Safe Creative http www safecreative org cc OGE under the terms of license Creative Commons Attribution DANCE VonCommercial NoDerivs 3 0 A full version of this license can be obtained at http creativecommons oreg licenses by nc nd 3 0 legalcode
50. at has a title a paragraph and an image This book will provide information about raspberries To do this we must first select the Book content tab The edition panel has to main sections In the bottom we have a preview of the book that we are creating At the top we find an ordered list of all the elements paragraphs images etc that the book has The buttons to the right of the list can be used to add remove and sort these elements To add a title we click the add button QD and choose Title from the options that appear We then modify its contents directly within the list change it to Raspberries Figure 42 http e adventure e ucm es 45 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es r Adventure editor New project 1 lo e x File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Tools Contents Appearance Documentation 2 CDe Chapter Title The oa Figure 42 Simple content book edition panel after adding a title element After this we repeat the process for a text paragraph The contents of this paragraph can for instance be copied from Wikipedia Finally we add a new image paragraph and choose an image of some raspberries Figure 43 E l Adventure editor New project 1 File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About
51. ation About Tools Scenes 2e Ble V Edt Sceneld Figure 8 Scene edition shows a preview of all the scenes in the chapter By default games include an empty scene When a scene is selected in the structure panel 7 tabs appear in the right side panel Figure 10 The Information tab will appear first and this is common to most lt e Adventure gt elements In this case it allows for the edition of the scene general description and its name The element name should not be confused with its id the former is used in the game while the latter is unique and shown only in the structure of the game The name of the element can have white spaces and use any http e adventure e ucm es 17 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es character adventure nee DondeHagoCosasParalmporta File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About ras Appearance Documentation Dd ele Chapter Title ue x Pi 4 _ Adaptation profiles o Sceneld Rename Cutscenes Books Items Player Characters Conversations Figure 9 Scene edition panel with the Documentation tab selected http e adventure e ucm es 18 99 OO lt e UCM gt Sa OOOO O000000 wavatavavorstevausvavareesvaratorstoseseansenestatersene pata na Odoo tt tO 00000 e learning group http e adventure e ucm es z l Adventure editor New project l
52. be uploaded to a VLE For instance Moodle and Ilias3 are compatible with IMS CP SCORM 1 2 and SCORM 2004 objects AGREGA packages can be attached to the Spanish repository but are also compatible with any SCORM 2004 VLE 3 4 Export games as JAR runnable Java programs Exporting games as JAR files allows the games to be played directly on any computer without having to install lt e Adventure gt or opening a web browser To run games in this mode requires the JRE Java Runtime Environment in version 1 6 0 18 at least This way games can be easily distributed To export games this way we use the File gt Export gt Export as runnable JAR menu This will ask us for a folder and file name The export will take some time to complete http e adventure e ucm es 70 99 ee e learning group http e adventure e ucm es 3 5 Adaptation and evaluation profiles Following current educational trends lt e Adventure gt support both the assessment evaluation of student performance and the adaptation of game contents to fit the student needs These features are configured through Adaptation and Evaluation profiles Each profile is made up of a set of rules conditions of flags and variables When the conditions are met rules are applied to assess student behavior or modify the game respectably The use of profiles allows several different ways to adapt or assess the games to be chosen when exporting or runn
53. can also be used as reference and for that a detailed table of contents is included which allows for a quick solution of doubts about the platform 1 3 Starting out with the editor basic project management and running games To start using the lt e Adventure gt platform you should start up the editor This will show the starting dialog Figure 1 From this dialog we can create new adventures or open existing ones el Welcome to the lt e Adventure gt editor Information Welcome to the lt e Adventure gt editor To get started using the editor you must choose between the options prompted here You can create a new file by clicking on the buiton you can find below You are allowed to create two different type of adventure games this choice can be modified later Adventures where the player is shown normally as for instance the MonkeylslandTM saga 3rd person mode Adventures where the player is not shown giving the impression that the user is directly inside the game as in the Myst saga 1st person mode lf you do not want to create a new adventure project you can open an existing one by browsing the tabs above Figure 1 Starting dialog of the lt e Adventure gt editor http e adventure e ucm es 10 99 menaa lt e UCM gt PS Oooo OO00000 wavavateteravavaenesvarerevarateravoseeatseestatersene pate POR OR OID e learning group http e adventure e ucm es 1 3 1 Create a new project lt
54. characters items and set items each in a different tab Later we will show how to add all these different elements but we will start by adding exits to the scene 2 2 3 Connecting scenes adding an exit If we want to connect different scenes creating a heterogeneous world we have to add exits to the scenes in the game Without exits the game would mostly take place in the same scene Exits can be thought of as invisible rectangles which when the player click on them this action results in a change of scene only after the avatar reaches them in the case of third person games To better understand this concept let s suppose we have two scenes the one we created in the last example 2 2 2 that we called Office and a new one called Restaurant As shown in Figure 14 the office had an open door near the center which we can use to simulate an exit in that area that makes the player go from the office to the restaurant The first step is to select the Exits tab for the Office scene This shows in the right side panel a list of exists and a preview of the scene To the right of the table a button can be used to add a new exit When we do a pop up dialog will ask where the exit leads to as show in Figure 15 In this case we choose Restaurant http e adventure e ucm es 22 99 There are no elements in this table Figure 15 Scene edition panel selecting the next scene w
55. ck boxes for the different kind elements of a scene deselecting a kind of element will make it disappear from the preview note that there are only check boxes for those elements that were defined at least once in the scene These check boxes only affect the behavior of the preview and have no consequences in the game play http e adventure e ucm es 25 99 File Edit Adventure Chapters Run iii ai About Appearance Documentation Element references Barriers Active areas Eits Player Movement Use trajectory or initial position Use trajectory Use initial position X coordinate 200 Scale 0 947 Y coordinate 822 Advanced features Show hide components 4 L Adaptation profiles Figure 18 Scene edition panel while on the Player movement tab Finally the entire configuration regarding the placement of the player avatar in the scene is only available in third person games Besides an advanced mechanism to define the position of the player in the scene as well as how to move through it based on trajectories is also available and studied in section 3 8 of this guide 2 3 Items New items or objects with which the player can interact can be added to lt e Adventure gt games This section describes how to add these items in a game 2 3 1 Adding a new item Creating a new item is very similar to creating a new scene It starts out by selecting the Items element in the structure pan
56. d as a rectangle with a curved bottom when a regular node Figure 30 b Figure 30 Dialog nodes a represents the initial node in the conversation and b any other dialog node e Option nodes This nodes specify the options that the player has to choose from when that point in the conversation is reached The selected option will be the next line of dialog that the player http e adventure e ucm es 38 99 http e adventure e ucm es 7 reads and will determine the path followed by the conversation They are represented with a diamond Figure 31 Figure 31 Options node e End or finish nodes This are just like the dialog nodes but they represent the end of the conversation The are displayed as a rectangle with a triangle on top Figure 32 Figure 32 End or finish node Any node in a conversation can be selected by clicking on it Figure 33 When a node is selected its border will be highlighted and an option panel appears next to the node These options allow for the creation of new nodes of the different types In the lower part of the panel the lines of the selected node are visible and the character text and other features of each line can be edited there Adventure editor New project 4 20 amp File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Tools N B e amp Preview ll Preview from selected node Leccion 1 Toma de Granada
57. ded removed or duplicated using the controls below O In addition below each frame or transition its duration in milliseconds will be displayed Frames and transitions can be selected by clicking on them in the timeline When a frame is selected its properties can be edited using the panel that appears just below titled Frame transition details When a frame is selected the next properties can be edited Figure 82 e Duration ms Time that the frame will be displayed on the screen in miliseconds By default this value is set to 40 Image The image of the frame Any png jpeg bmp or gif static image is accepted Sound A mp3 or midi sound that will be played synchronized with the frame In this manner we can add sound effects to animations e g step sounds when a character walks Please take into account that these sounds will not stop when the next frame is loaded so it is recommended that the frame s duration is set to the length of the sound file selected Frame Transition details Duration ms 3 000 Image assets animation Master Idle _01 png Select Select x Figure 82 Properties of a frame in the animations editor When a transition is selected the next properties can be edited Figure 83 e Duration ms Time the transition will be displayed ms By default this is set to zero e Type of transition three types of transitions are currently supported o Fade in fades the previous
58. des while b shows the options for option nodes 20 ccccccescssssssseesesseseeeeceececececeeceseeseseeaeasssssesseeseeeeseeeeeeeeeess 40 MEUM Oe Panon or a dalos NOE eseese EA 41 Figure 37 CMON oran option Node ia x8 csnnctiecansansten nsetubecuabaaiesddadosariaen denen deatuausneboepabipeeatiadeoccnesatievsemervenenseesaan s 42 Figure 38 Creating loops in the conversation edition panel cccccccccccecesseesennnececeeceecesesesenaececeeeeeeseeseennaeeeeeeeeees 43 Figure 39 A preview of a CON VELSAUION eiiaz cssctnscccntontadsndncuindne densi ei a E E E EER a AD 43 Figure 40 Simple content book edition panel in the Book content tab cece eeeccccccceeeeseeeseneeeeeeeeeeseeeennneeeeeeeeees 44 Figure 41 The Appearance tab in the simple content book edition panel cccccccceeceeeeseeseseeseesesssseeeaeaes 45 Figure 42 Simple content book edition panel after adding a title element cccccceceeeeeeeeeeesseeseeeeseeneneneas 46 Figure 43 Simple content book edition panel after adding an image paragraph cece ec eeccececeeeeeseeesessnensssteeaeaes 46 http e adventure e ucm es 7 99 lt e UCM gt _ lt e Adventure gt ii e learning group http e adventure e ucm es Figure 44 Simple content book edition panel after resorting the elements in the book eeceeeeeeeeeeeeeeseeeees 47 Figure 45 A Web pago about CAS MOC IIe Saona ea ae sebondencatinssan idee aentectoons 48 Figure 46 Preview of
59. do this we must click the Convert to irregular area button This will be detailed later If we now go back to the Scenes element in the left structure panel we will see the two scenes in our game and the exit that links them represented as an arrow Figure 17 This helps when editing large games to see every scene in a game and every exit that links it to another http e adventure e ucm es 24 99 Office Restrnt et Figure 17 Scene edition panel when previewing the scenes in a chapter This shows all scenes in the game and the relation between scenes created as a consequence of exits from one to another 2 2 4 Scene initial position Before being able to test the game the player assets must be defined but this is studied in detail in section 2 5 5 However it is possible to do that the player would still appear in an apparently random position This can be changed by defining an initial position which we will do for the office scene To do this we choose the Player movement tab while the Office scene is selected in the structure panel This tab will show a preview of the scene with every element defined in it Figure 18 In this case the Use initial position choice is selected The player can be dragged to the desired position in the scene The player scale in the scene can also be modified by dragging the green element in the upper left corner At the bottom of the preview panel there are che
60. dren Dialog and end nodes have an option to wait for the user input after each line making the text in the game easier to read This option can be configured globally or for each node in the different conversations The global option is activated in the Adventure gt Edit Adventure data menu By checking the Keep text until user interacts option the game will wait for the user after each line and the option will not be configurable at a node level If the option is not selected however it will be http e adventure e ucm es 40 99 lt e Adventure gt lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es configurable at each node by activating the option that will be visible on top of the conversation lines Figure 36 l Adventure editor New project 1 Se File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Conversation a rein Pei fom secede Adaptation profiles Figure 36 Edition of a dialog node Option nodes have different options that can be selected Figure 37 e Order options randomly When selected the order of the options presented to the player will change each time Show previous question When selected the last line of the previous node will be kept on screen while the player answers e Show response When selected after the user selects an answer the following line will be the answer itself http e adventure e ucm es 41 99 wAdve
61. e Adventure gt games are managed as Adventure projects in the editor which are nothing more than an empty eap file and a folder that contains all the data of the game These games can not be played in the engine and for that they should be later exported as ead files To create a new project we should click the Create New button A dialog will appear asking for a name and destination by default the Project folder in the user folder for the project folder The folder name should be made up of numbers letters white spaces and _ symbols Other characters such as amp or are not allowed in the project folder name Two different game types can be selected each represented by its own icon d saga have a visible player Third person games These games similar to the Monkeylslan representation The player is shown as an avatar in the game which he she can control The movement of the player s avatar requires time the avatar must walk from one place to the other and the text is shown directly above its head just like in a comic book First person games The player has no avatar in these games thus exploring the game in the first person and with instant consequences for the different actions These games are more alike to the Myst saga This sort of game is usually better suited for photo realistic games in which photographs are used as the setting of the game 1 3 2 Open an existin
62. e Serraryy O 4ptherlands Worthern Haly them Spain and Porlugal Hia a deciduous shrub Figure 44 Simple content book edition panel after resorting the elements in the book 2 6 2 EXAMPLE Create and edit a formatted text book A book similar to the one in the previous example can be created using the formatted text option This book will use an HTML file It should be noted that HTML file support in Java is limited and some problems can arise 1f files with meta data are used Most of these problems however should be fixed automatically by the lt e Adventure gt platform Besides exporting files as Filtered webpage from Microsoft Word might help achieve better results Another important aspect of HTML files is that all required files for instance images should be included in a folder with the same name as the file but ending in files For instance the images for raspberries html should be placed in a folder named raspberreis_ files HTML files created within lt e Adventure gt take all these features into account and there is no need to consider them In this example we use the same information that in the previous one but in this case we write the information into one HTML file Figure 45 This sample HTML files uses different font sizes and colors and it includes an image http e adventure e ucm es 47 99 lt e UCM gt NOIIETTE e learning group http e adven
63. e adventure e ucm es 82 99 e learning group http e adventure e ucm es Adventure editor Manual File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Q List of timers SS Global states gj Macros av Documentation of the timer Documentation of the timez Count down Show when stopped Conversations Set gt If the timer is stopped it will start again once the conditions to start are met Not set gt Once the timer stops it will not start again even if the conditions to start are met g Advanced features E Runs in loops m Set gt The timer v ll run once and again until t is stopped 4 p Adaptation profiles Not set gt The timer will run once and stop Se CQe SEEE a8 5 ER Conditions to start the timer Conditions to stop the timer Uses end conditions if not the timer will stop when start conditions aren t met Edit end conditions Effects to be executed if the timer expires Effects to be executed if the timer is stopped rates ees Figure 78 Edition of advanced features Timers tab 3 10 Custom actions In section 2 3 2 actions were introduced Those were predefined actions which have specific default behavior For example a Grab action is always going to remove an object from the scene and add it to the inventory Custom actions allow defining interactions in the game with no specific default behavior extending the expressiveness of the
64. ed This will have effect as soon as the conditions are changed and is used to trigger a rule for instance after the student correctly answers a particular question e Repeat assessment rule This option allows for the assessment rule to be repeated the consequences triggered once again every time the conditions for the rule become valid once again it should be made invalid first This should be used carefully as it might produce to much information in the report or the VLE to be useful Effect the effects to be triggered with the rule This is made up of the concept text and properties fields o Concept A brief description of the rule s meaning http e adventure e ucm es 72 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es o Text The text to be shown in the report about what triggered the rule o Properites this are variable value pairs When the rule is triggered the variables will be given the value selected in the corresponding property This will not be reflected in the report and is used to send information directly to the server or VLE The ids of the variables will be conditioned by the selected type of the profile Adventure editor Manual File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Tools Assessment profile D Configuration of the student s feedback f Show assessment report when chapter is over Titulo del capitulo i i Send by ema
65. ed specifically for this background as shown in Figure 13 el Choose a background image di Capturas manual ingl s J jars captural a captura hall_fg Nombre de archivo hall_fg jpa Archivos de tipo Image fles png jpg bmp wbmp gif Preview of the background aai Figure 13 Foreground mask selection dialog After these steps are completed we can see the final result in Figure 14 It should be noted that red crossed out circle in the image appears because we are editing a third person game with no assets defined for the player avatar which would otherwise appear there http e adventure e ucm es 21 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es e Adventure editor New project 1 File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Tools Appearance Documentation Element references Barriers Active areas Exits Player Movement Chapter Title T Scenes x assets background hall_bg jpg Foreground mask for the scene 3 assets background hall_fg ipa Music of the scene x Preview of the complete scene Office Rename BO GID cutscenes Figure 14 Scene edition panel in the Appearance tab after assets were selected for both the background and the foreground mask Other elements can also be defined in a scene such as exits active areas barriers and trajectories and references to
66. ed during the game the item Information in this field is stored in the game but only used by the game editor to provide further information about the item when edited by someone else or at a different time Name This is the name of the item This name will be shown to the game user when the mouse cursor 1s over the item Brief description This description should be concise and provide an idea of the nature or possible use of the item The player will be able to see this description by left clicking the item in a scene Detailed description This description can be longer providing additional details about the object By default this description is shown to the user when Examining the item However such default behaviour could be overridden The item returns to its initial position This checkbox establishes how the item will behave in the case of being dragged If it is selected items will return to there original position once the player releases the mouse button E Adventure editor New project lo e x Tools File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About 2 D Chapter Title Appearance Documentation Actions T Scenes A Full description of the item Name of the item Brief description of the item Detailed description of the item amp Set items Object returns to its original position after being dragged x Player
67. ed following this profile are compatible with this specific repository so this profile is neither a standard nor specification e LAMS Learning Activity Management System LAMS is a educational managemente system that allows for the creation of on line learning sequences http www lamsinternational com Support for this system is expected by Dicember 2010 Besides exporting games as LO a series of meta data can be attached to the games that will be later used the by web server to index and retrieve information The meta data need depends on the exportation profile so the format must be chosen accordingly LTSC LOM IMS CP SCORM 2004 and LAMS IMS LOM SCORM 1 2 and LOM ES AGREGA No meta data is needed for WebCT To edit the meta data a specific editor is available at the File gt LOM Metadata editor submenu For instance if we choose to edit the Learning Object metadata we will edit the LTSC LOM data in the editor shown in Figure 64 http e adventure e ucm es 68 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group Tite of the Learning Object Language ee Description Learning Object s description Keyword lt e Adventure gt tutorial Figure 64 LTSC LOM meta data editor for Learning Objects This editor allows the following data to be changed e General tab o Title the title of the game o Language the language of the game o Description description of the game content o Keywords keywords
68. ed just like the conditions of an element but they are limited to reference themselves When editing the conditions of any element a reference to a Global state is added just like the references to variables or flags where added in the previous sections but using the relevant button 3 1 4 Condition edition dialog The condition edition dialog has many features In the first place placing the mouse cursor over a condition shows a contextual menu as seen in Figure 54 This menu has button to delete replicate or edit respectably the condition http e adventure e ucm es 57 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group Figure 54 Condition edition dialog showing the contextual menu of a condition Besides complex conditions with several flags and variables can be created from within this dialog To do this more conditions can be added using the Add condition button By default when a new condition is added it will attached to the rest of the expression at the end and with the AND operator that means that all the conditions must be true for the whole condition to be true However the operator can be changed to an OR in a case by case basis This is done by clicking the AND operator and selecting the desired one from the list For example let s expand the previous example situation In this case the Beef object can only be grabbed if the Fish was grabbed or either the Milk
69. ed once the cutscene ends There are some details to be configured Next scene The id of the next scene in the chapter to be selected from a combobox Edit effects Allows for the configuration of effects that will be triggered after changing the scene to the new one o Use a destination position for the player and Edit the destination position this option activates the selection of a destination position for the player in the next scene for games in third person and the button is used to choose the position o Transition and Transition time A transition and its duration can be selected for the change to a next scene in the game e Chapter ends When this option is selected the chapter will end taking the game to the following chapter or finishing if 1t does not exists http e adventure e ucm es 52 99 When the cutscene end is reached Returns to the previous scene Goes to a new scene Chapter ends Next scene Office 7 Use a destination position for the player Edit the destination position Transition No transition 7 Transition time O gt seg Cow Adaptation profiles Rif rsoatonsones Figure 50 Cutscene edition panel in the Cutscene end configuration tab http e adventure e ucm es 53 99 lt e Adventure gt lt e UCM gt http e adventure e ucm es 3 Extending basic games Advanced features The previous sectio
70. edition panel selecting the next scene when adding an exit oo cccccccccececeeeeeeeeeeseseeeeeeeseneeas 23 Figure 16 Scene edition panel while adding a new exit The exit can be dragged and re sized as needed 24 Figure 17 Scene edition panel when previewing the scenes in a chapter This shows all scenes in the game and the relation between scenes created as a consequence of exits from one to another 00 0 cccececesssseseeeseseseeeeeceeeeeeees 25 Figure 18 Scene edition panel while on the Player movement tab eccccccsccecececeeececeeeeeeeeeseeseeeeeseeseneeeeeaeaes 26 Figure 19 Item edition panel in the Appearance tab with no selected asset nn0nnnnnnnnnneeneneeeseseseesssssssssssssssss 21 Figure 20 Item edition panel in the Appearance tab when the item has an image attached ccccceeeeeeeeeees 28 Ue 2k Viow Edit mage din MD ercis E a exeman liaaad A sideeutiens 28 Figure 22 Item edition panel Actions tab This tab shows the list of actions and after click the add button the different Kinds Or actions that can DE selected a iscnssvccnicsnnssiesacnoaaneindentwnsaies sbennunnshomnaticid on eelasmwubencanehekeSenactustel conwewneceesvoness 30 Figure 23 Item edition panel Information TaD sscsnvaccscasnesessavdnoedvneaboavondevssasocseeataasonetbuaseebaceshdeadovassmedsineseneadsicieas 31 Figure 24 Scene edition panel Element references tab just after adding a new e
71. eeeeessnnaaeeeeeees 61 Figure 58 Effects to set the value of a variable or increase its value in 3 units cece ececcceceeseeesnteeceeeeeeesensnneeeeeeees 61 Figure 59 Table with all the effects available in lt e AdVenture gt eee ccccccecesensnecececeeeeeeesesenneeeceeeeesseesesnaaeeeeeees 63 Figure 60 EXAMPLE Pick up and place objects in different scenes Adding to active areas to the scene EROS UATE AEE E E A E T E E E EAA 64 Figure 61 EXAMPLE Pick up and place objects in different scenes Adding effects to Book object 65 Figure 62 Edition of the layer of element references 0 ccceesesssccececeeeeeeeeeesensnececeeeeeeceseeeceneaececeeceeeeeeeesnaaeaeeeeeeees 66 Figure 63 Example of using layers to adjust depth in the scene 20 0 ccccceeesessesneneeeecececeeeeeeneeceeeececeseeeessnaaeeeeeeeeees 67 Figure 64 LTSC LOM meta data editor for Learning Objects cccccccccccccccceececeecececeeceseeseeeeseseeeeeeesesseaeeaeaeaes 69 Figure 65 Assessment profile edition pamel ccecccceseeeeseeseseseensnesenennnnaeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeseeeeeesuseseeeeeneeeseseeeenenegegs 72 Figure OO Edition of a rogu lar assessment Tle ssissirsissiiesisser iien r E EE 73 Figure 67 Edition of a timed assessment TULE ie inis yi sacuco sh ceteanassnorecnlade vbeendsbantetetenunstebdeaiektapeansusuoos deranaataudetadveantennsccnns 74 Figure 68 A sample assessment report cccccccceccccceceeeeeeeeseeeee
72. el and click on the add button D Click the button will add a new item with a unique default id This id has the same conditions and is edited in the same way as the id for the scene as seen in section 2 2 1 When the item is selected in the structure panel the edition process is similar to the one followed for scenes Figure 19 In the case of objects the Appearance tab only requires that will be used when the item appears in the scene and an icon that represents the appearance of the item will also appear in the http e adventure e ucm es 26 99 e learning group http e adventure e ucm es inventory Although there are no fixed restrictions for the image of the object the icon must be 80x48 pixels and can be generated automatically from the image using the Create icon from image button e Adventure editor New project Loo i File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Tools ne Chapter Title Inventory icon of the item x Create icon from image Vien Graphical preview of the item Figure 19 Item edition panel in the Appearance tab with no selected asset For example if we can choose an image for a new object we see the preview of the object in the lower part of the right side panel Figure 20 Remember that the id of the element can be changed using the Rename button on the left side panel just as done for the scene in section
73. ent voice No voice v Synthesizer all conversations Figure 29 Character edition panel in the Dialog configuration tab This shows the dialog to choose the color of the main font color http e adventure e ucm es 37 99 lt e Adventure gt lt e UCM gt http e adventure e ucm es The second set of options is used to add a voice used by the text to speech system when the character speaks This is used both to improve accessibility and to add audio to the game at a small expense Checking the Synthesize all conversation option will make the character pronounce every line in the game while if this option is not selected the option will have to be done for each line see Conversations in section 2 5 4 2 5 3 Adding characters to the scene Characters are added to scenes in the Element reference panel This is done just like for the other elements see 2 2 3 or 2 3 3 2 5 4 Conversations Just like the player interacts with items the player might also interact with characters However the kinds of interactions are significantly different In the Actions tab of the characters we find an action specific for characters Talk to This sort of action requires the existence of conversations in the chapter Conversations are dialogs between the player and one or more characters and are created for 3 aims guiding the player provide information or evaluate the player More than one
74. ersations g Advanced features Edit asset Adaptation profiles O assess choco sea Figure 73 Choosing the adaptation and assessment profiles in the chapter edition panel 3 6 Active areas Active areas are rectangles or polygons defined as part of the scene that define a part of the background that can be interacted with This are used to provide interactivity with background rich in elements and are especially relevant in photo realistic games An active area behaves much like an item but it belongs to the scene and is not created independently Figure 74 They are defined in the same way that exits where and can be of different sizes and in different positions http e adventure e ucm es 77 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es Adventure editor Chocolate File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Tools Appearance Documentation Element references Active areas veleje s a J Conditions Actions Documentation cw J C First Chapter X coordinate 511 2 Width 76 Y coordinate 345 Height 56H J crea Items Set items j Figure 74 Active areas tab in the scene edition panel 3 7 Barriers Barriers are only available in third person games Barriers just like exits or active areas are rectangular areas or polygons defined on a scene Barriers provided the ability to limit the players movement
75. f the game e The timer can be defined to run in loops When a timer run in loops it will restart 1f the time limit is reached until end conditions are met The full list of parameters that can be configured for a timer is as follows Time second column of timer list this is the time limit When reached the timer will trigger the effects block and restart or end depending of the configuration e Display in game third column of timer list if active the elapsed time will be rendered on the upper right corner of the screen Other parameters will be available then on the panel below the list e Display name Text that will be displayed along with the elapsed time Count down If active the timer will count backwards and trigger the effects when zero is reached Show when stopped If active the text and time elapsed will be displayed on the screen even if it has not started counting or if it has been stopped Documentation Text introduced here will not be used in the games only valid for internal documentation e Loop control o Multiple starts defines if the timer to start once or multiple times o Runs in loops defines if the timer has to start counting again after reaching the time limit or not Conditions to start the timer the timer will start counting when these conditions are met Conditions to stop the timer the timer will stop even if the time limit has not been reached when these conditions are met http
76. features on the structure panel The first tab displayed on the right panel will be the timer list Timers can be added or deleted using add QD and delete buttons on the right side of the timer list which by default is empty The basic idea of how a timer works is simple When the defined set of conditions are met then the timer will start counting until a time limit is reached Then a block of effects will be triggered Nonetheless timers can be configured to tweak this behavior in several ways First timers can be forced to stop by defining a set of End conditions When these conditions are met then the timer will abort the count if the time limit has not been reached yet In addition another set of effects can be triggered when the timer is forced to stop Second it can be configured if the timer should remain active during the whole game or just once in a couple of ways e Itcan be defined if the timer should start multiple times or not If this option is selected then the timer will start counting again f the initial conditions are met at any time after first finalization http e adventure e ucm es 81 99 lt e Adventure gt lt e UCM gt http e adventure e ucm es As a consequence if a timer with this option activated expires because the time limit defined has been reached the timer will start again if the initial conditions are satisfied This behaviour allows reusing the timer in different parts o
77. g project a game stored as an ead file or a recently opened project The start dialog also allows for the selection of an eap file or a project folder to be opened Figure 2 a besides showing a list of recently opened project to select from Figure 2 b By default the dialog will show the projects available in the Projects folder This folder is destined to store all the projects that are created with the editor but the user can chose to create or place projects in a different folder Once the file is selected clicking the open button will start the editor with the selected game project If the user tries to open an ead file a game already exported from the editor the system will automatically import the game in the folder the user will be asked to choose Welcome to the lt e Adventure gt editor jee Welcome to the lt e Adventure gt editor New Open Recent t Buscar en d Projects X i D El Adventure data R M Fi New project Title of the adventure 1 New project 1 Fi Paniel and the Chocolate based Sauce Adventure LD S d New project 2 Complete path C AndroidSDK proyectos Projects New project 3 Description of the adventure Nombre de archivo Archivos de tipo lt e Adventure gt Files ead and Projects eap Figure 2 Choosing a project a shows the tab allowing for the selection of a project in the file system and b shows the
78. game being 0 Adding conditions that use variables instead of flags is done following the same process However when adding a variable condition we need to set the id of the variable the comparison function lt gt etc and the value 0 1 2 etc with which to compare Figure 53 http e adventure e ucm es 56 99 lt e Adventure lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es Adventure editor Manual Add condition File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Select the type of condition and then the fields appropriate for such type Type Value 0 Inf BE Tools Appearance Documentation Actions 9 Bj e fT Action Figure 53 Adding a condition to an action based on the value of a variable 3 1 3 Global states Another even more advanced feature in lt e Adventure gt is the possibility to define conditions based on global states of the games Global states are sets of conditions that are defined as a whole allowing them to be reused in different parts of the game These are especially useful in complex games where a point in the game might depend on the combination of different values for several flags and variables Global states are created within their on tab in the Advanced features element in the structure panel to the left of the editor Global states are displayed and edit
79. ge the monitor resolution to 800x600 so the game window will cover the whole screen http e adventure e ucm es 96 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group The adventure appears in a window on top of the users desktop 0 Run with a black background The adventure appears in a window with the rest of the screen in black the users desktop is hidden 6 Run in fullscreen mode Windows only The adventure uses all the screen realstate available on the system Figure 93 Graphic configuration dialog 4 3 5 Change adventure mode Convert to Ist 3rd person lt e Adventure gt allows the creation of two types of games first person and third person In the first type the player perceives the game as if he she would be part of the virtual world In the second type the player will control an avatar that represents him her in the virtual world This option allows changing the adventure mode The process is completely reversible since no data is lost 4 3 6 Delete unused assets This feature added in version 0 10 allows removing art assets that have been added to the game project but that have not been referenced This option is very useful when the game is about to be released distributed since it will remove some unnecessary weight However it must be noted that this process cannot be undone since files will removed from the hard disk 4 4 Chapters menu This menu can be used to add delete import and order chapters
80. gure 22 Item edition panel Actions tab This tab shows the list of actions and after click the add button the different kinds of actions that can be selected An infinite number of actions can be defined for the same object When more than one action of a certain type is defined for instance two Examine actions the engine will choose which to use based on the conditions these can be edited in the actions list The rule followed is that the first action whose conditions are valid is used This is further explained when the concepts of conditions and effects are detailed The actions can be sorted in the list by using the arrows to the right of the list t The column named Needs to reach item which is only relevant in third person games allows for actions to be restricted to when the player s avatar is able to reach the item in the scene This allows for http e adventure e ucm es 30 99 http e adventure e ucm es actions such as Shout to that can be preformed from anywhere and others such as Grab that need the player close If this option is checked barriers or other obstacles can make it impossible to perform the action 2 3 3 Information Just like for scenes the information about items can be modified in the Information tab Figure 23 There are 4 fields that can be modified by the user and a checkbox Documentation this field is used to document i e it is not us
81. haracter edition panel in the Appearance tab allows for the edition of the characters animations Several features of animations in lt e Adventure gt must be detailed Animations are a set of images drawn one after the other The basic sort of animation uses JPG or PNG images with the same name but with the N suffix where N is 01 02 03 etc depending on the position of the image in the animation For example an animation called characterSpeaking made up of 5 PNG images is made up of characterSpeaking 01 png characterSpeaking 02 png characterSpeaking 03 png characterSpeaking 04 png and characterSpeaking 05 png A more advanced kind of animation is available which allows images to be used in a more flexible way and the addition of sound Animations are automatically converted to this format when clicking the Create edit button and their edition is detailed in section 3 11 1 of this guide The animations that must be configured for a character are http e adventure e ucm es 36 99 a lt e UCM gt Pa SSS Mateetevavnees Vavavetaverateratneavarsesvarstrsvetanseanatnesatersesaunestsratsesestaesvanataeaestansentanseoatarstseaterseete on Nn tO Nn OO G O0 RON ORORCIRD e learning group http e adventure e ucm es e Standing animations looking up looking down looking right and looking left this last one is optional e Talking animations speaking up speaking down speaking right
82. he editor basic project management and running games 10 1 3 1 Create a new project 11 1 3 2 Open an existing project a game stored as an ead file or a recently opened project 11 1 3 3 Exporting a project as an ead file 12 1 3 4 Importing an existing game as a new project 12 1 3 5 Running a ead game in the engine or from the editor 13 1 4 Interaction in lt e Adventure gt games 14 2 My first lt e Adventure gt game 15 2 1 Chapters 16 2 1 1 Importing Chapters 16 2 2 Scenes and cut scenes 16 2 2 1 Adding a new scene 16 Background image required 19 Foreground mask optional 19 Background music optional 20 2 2 2 EXAMPLE Defining the assets of a scene 20 2 2 3 Connecting scenes adding an exit 22 2 2 4 Scene initial position 25 2 3 Items 26 2 3 1 Adding a new item 26 2 3 2 Interacting with items actions 29 Examine 29 Grab 29 Use 29 Use with 29 Custom 30 Give to 30 Drag to 30 2 3 3 Information 31 2 3 4 EXAMPLE Adding an item to a scene 32 2 4 Set items 34 2 4 1 Creating a new set item 34 2 4 2 Information 35 2 4 3 Adding a set item to a scene 35 2 5 Characters 35 http e adventure e ucm es 4 99 lt e Adventure gt lt e UCM gt http e adventure e ucm es 2 5 1 Create a new character 36 2 5 2 Character dialog configuration 37 2 5 3 Adding characters to the scene 38 2 5 4 Conversations 38 2 5 5 EXAMPLE Editing a conversation 42 2 5 6 The player 44 2
83. he game editor all element references will always be drawn in the game 3 3 Export as a Learning Object LO One of the most relevant features of the lt e Adventure gt platform in educational contexts is its ability to export games as Learning Objects LO Learning Objects are self content packages that can be deployed in Virtual Learning Environments VLE This allows the games to be easily added to educational courses just as HTML documents and be played directly in a web browser VLE must support one or more packaging and communications standards to be able to include lt e Adventure gt LO In order to increase compatibility several different standards are supported in the platform in the way of different export profiles e IMS CP IMS Content Packaging is used to describe and package educational contents to be added in content respositories or VLE e WebCT 4 this content packaging format is used in the platform of the same name This is not a standard but rather a specific export profile and games exported for this platform are not supported in others e SCORM SCORM is a set of standards and specifications created by US Defence Department that includes packaging and communication features This is one of the most popular specifications nowadays lt e Adventure gt supports two versions SCORM v1 2 and SCORM 2004 e AGREGA this is a Spanish content repository financed by the Science Education and Industry Ministries Games export
84. hen adding an exit After selecting a destination scene a new element is added to the list of exits and the new exit now selected in the list is shown in the preview panel of the scene The highlight red area in the preview corresponds to the selected exit and it can be dragged anywhere on the scene and the exit can be re sized by clicking and dragging the green element in the lower left corner Figure 16 It must be noted however that during the game the exit will be completely invisible http e adventure e ucm es 23 99 http e adventure e ucm es Adventure editor New project File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Tools D ele Appearance Documentation Element references Barriers Active areas Exits player Movement Chapter Title Convert to irregular area X coordinate 361 Width 198 Y coordinate 323 Height 298 Figure 16 Scene edition panel while adding a new exit The exit can be dragged and re sized as needed The name which will be displayed when the cursor is over the exit and an image for the cursor when placed over the exit can be modified in the Appearance column of the table This way in our example when the player moves the mouse over the exit its name Go to restaurant will be shown over the cursor and when the player clicks the scene will change Exits as well as other rectangular areas can also have complex shapes To
85. how Grab action Works with the element referents The same object can be included in different scenes As discussed in Section 2 3 2 when the user perform a Grab action the game engine removes the object form the scene and adds it to the inventory http e adventure e ucm es 33 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es This action affects the whole chapter that is the object will not be shown in the chapter even it is referenced in other scenes more information about in section 3 1 9 Moreover when a Use and Grab actions are defined over the same interactive element the engine will only display the action Grab when hiding the action Use is not active it means when the conditions over Use actions are not met 2 4 Set items Set items only provide visual information and cannot be interacted with 2 4 1 Creating a new set item Just like for regular items set items are added by clicking the add button after selecting Set items in the structure panel Figure 26 The new set item will have a default id that can be changed by clicking the rename button with the same restrictions as other ids in lt e Adventure gt starts with letter unique etc z Adventure editor New project lo B X File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Tools Set items 9 C Dje
86. ifferent scenes Adding effects to Book object Finally you have to create other object with name Book2 with the same image as Book object to represent the book that will be placed once it is in the inventory Add the Book2 in the Restaurant scene as in the section 2 3 4 but adding a condition in to the reference in order to hide it until the Book will be used with the tableRestaurant more information about how define conditions and modify the game state in section 3 1 It means you create a condition that will be met when the flag bookOnTable will be actived 3 1 10 Macros A macro 1s just a group of effects that is given a unique identifier This allows launching effect blocks in different parts of the game without duplicating the block To add a macro click on the element Advanced features in the structure panel and then select tab Macros Click on the add button on the right After introducing the Macro ID must be unique press the OK button Effects can be added deleted or ordered using control buttons on the panel titled List of effects of the macro Only restriction is that a macro cannot contain an effect Launch macro to itself To launch all the effects in a macro just add a Launch Macro effect at any point of the game http e adventure e ucm es 65 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es
87. il Edit SMTP configuration Scenes List of assessment rules Id iti Repeat asessment rule FinalAssessment Normal Items amp Set items Text to be printed See Characters g Advanced features The students was assessed with 5 List of properties Value Var Flag Assessment profiles Figure 66 Edition of a regular assessment rule Timed rules This sort of rules triggers a timer to start when the conditions are met The timer will stop when the finishing conditions are reached The time between these events is measured and used to produce different assessments of the students depending on the range it falls into Multiple rule effects as defined for regular rules can be defined one for each range Figure 67 When the time falls within a range its effects are triggered producing information to be written in the report and information being sent to the VLE If the time falls outside all ranged the rule produces no effects If it falls within two different ranges only the first one will be valid http e adventure e ucm es 73 99 lt e Adventure gt _ lt e UCM gt http e adventure e ucm es l Adventure editor Manual File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Tools Assessment profile e D Profile Type Configuration of the student s feedback l Show assessment report when chapter is over Send by em
88. in an lt e Adventure gt game sesssssssssssessererrrsreresteeeeesssesss 14 Figure 6 Edition t ols 1 6 7A Gv Cit Caine cewntcvnsasisasanosedvhananncdcinndsnonda san dtatenevsbenancbensnnseDentesubndadienanddbadeisnebrodibendiennoens 15 Figure 7 Initial view of the lt e Adventure gt editor once a new project is created or an existing one opened 15 Figure 8 Scene edition shows a preview of all the scenes in the chapter By default games include an empty scene17 Figure 9 Scene edition panel with the Documentation tab selected 20 0 0 eecesssccececeeceeeeeeeenseececeeeeeesesennaaeeeeeees 18 Figure 10 Scene edition panel with the Appearance tab selected cccccccccccccceceeeeeeeeeeeeeeseeeeeeeeseeeseseseeneeeaeas 19 Figure 11 Background image a and mask b The back parts of the mask mark the parts of the background image that will be painted in the front of other elements and the white parts those that will be painted behind 20 Figure 12 Asset selection dialog for the scene back round ceeecccccceceeceeeeesenneeceececeeeeeeeesenaaeceeeeeeessesennaaeeeeeees 20 Figure 13 Foreground mask selection 1d OG sc csncasxwsscmnsetncsassesvntnwonesenemadesensieavessednedsecannsduenandsednencensasdedinsnawocsunnaeraetons 21 Figure 14 Scene edition panel in the Appearance tab after assets were selected for both the background and the OTS OPTI A E E E E T E EET E E 22 Figure 15 Scene
89. in other effects Trigger a Starts the selected conversation Allows to trigger a conversation that is not conversation attached to any character as a Talk to action Trigger a Changes the current scene Allows to make scene transitions without scene using exits Trigger Goes back to the previous scene Useful for implementing menus using previous scene displayed in the game cutscenes are not scenes this effect allows you to define taken into account If current scene 1s elements that can behave as a back button the first an error is prompted Trigger Plays the selected cutscene Allows to trigger cutscenes without using cutscene exits Trigger book Opens the specified book This is the only way to make a book appear on the screen Typical usage define an object to launch the book when it is examined e g an object like a notebook or similar Consume an Removes an object from the inventory Allows to make objects disappear form the object inventory http e adventure e ucm es 62 99 ze Adventure gt pn a ii e learning group http e adventure e ucm es Generate an Puts an object in the inventory and Allows to put an object in the player s object removes it from the scene inventory without defining a Grab action Highlight an Highlights the specified object in Very useful to guide the player s attention to object red green or blue It also allows to interest places at
90. ine the type of bubble to be 29 66 used when displayed This way different feelings can be expressed such as thinking angry etc The option panel appears only when a node is selected The options in this panel vary depending on the type of node and of its position along the graph Figure 35 a D C mra KJ Add new option Add option node a Deletenode eee Y Link node to Figure 35 Option panels for different nodes in the graph a shows the options available for dialog nodes and end nodes while b shows the options for option nodes The options available for a node are e Edit effects this is used to define the block of effects that is triggered after all the lines in the node are read This are game effects just like the consequences of actions see 3 1 for a detail explanation Nodes with effects will have the word Effect printed inside them e Add dialog node Add option node this buttons add a new dialog or option node just after the currently selected node For option nodes this button read Add new option and will add a new dialog node as the result of a choice of the player Delete node delete the currently selected node and all its children Link node to allows to create a link between the currently selected node and an already existing node in the graph e Delete link deletes the link to the following node and if necessary the node and all its chil
91. ing group http e adventure e ucm es scene more accurately Therefore this feature does not affect the game itself but just the previews in the game editor a a Figure 87 Zoom controls http e adventure e ucm es 91 99 ___ lt e Adventure gt 2 http e adventure e ucm es 4 Menu options In this section the menus on the window bar will be explained These include common features such as management of games and projects and other characteristics that allow further customization of the games 4 1 File menu This menu supports basic options to manage files create new game projects export games exit etc Most of these features have been described in section 1 4 2 Edit menu This menu includes different edition tools Undo Allows undoing the last change made in the game project Redo Applies again the last discarded change using the undo feature Search allows to search a string in the game project A report dialog showing all the occurrences of the text will be returned By clicking on each occurrence that element will open 4 3 Adventure menu This menu allows editing different aspects and provides general information of the game 4 3 1 Check adventure consistency This option will return a dialog informing of all characteristics in the game that have not been defined correctly If these errors are not solved the game will not be executed in the engine For example one of the most com
92. ing the game This increases the reusability of games making them usable in different context or settings An adaptation and evaluation profile can be selected for each chapter To edit the adaptation profiles or evaluation profiles Assessment profiles or Adaptation profiles must be selected in the structure panel 3 5 1 Assessment profiles An assessment profile is created just like any other game element by using the button next to the Assessment profiles selection in the panel to the left The edition panel for an assessment profile Figure 65 has a section at the top that allows the selection of the type of profile Normal profile SCORM 2004 or SCORM 1 2 Besides this the way the profile is used can be configured by selecting the Show assessment report when chapter is over option If the report will be shown to the player it can also be sent by e mail to the student after he she gives consent http e adventure e ucm es 71 99 lt e UCM gt ene e learning group http e adventure e ucm es e Adventure editor Chocolate mee File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Tools Assessment profile Profile Type Configuration of the student s feedback Show assessment report when chapter is over First Chapter Normal Profile X Send by email Edit SMTP configuration q
93. king course about advanced usesof chocolate in cooking The final goal is to learn more about the world of chocolate from a practical side The student has to know what is behind the ingredients and the history of this product to make fancy and tasty sauces that can match with a selection of meals and meet the expectations of demanding customers The original game was developed in order to demonstrate the integration of the lt e Adventure gt engine on an IMS LD compliant Learning Management System such as CopperCore The story was written by Daniel Burgos and Pablo Moreno Ger The XML script was written by Bruno Torijano and Pablo Moreno Ger Select the folder where the eAdventure files are located C AndroidSDK Proyectos Exports load Gans Rees feeen Figure 4 The lt e Adventure gt engine start dialog http e adventure e ucm es 13 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es 1 4 Interaction in lt e Adventure gt games Although this document is oriented to explaining the features of the lt e Adventure gt game editor it is important that potential users of the platform get an idea of what the games will look like when the engine runs them In this regard how interaction is carried out is an important issue When the game is launched the player will perceive the scene as it is Therefore no further menus or head ups will be displayed Players can explore the scene with the mouse When the
94. lect View Inventory icon of the item Inventory icon of the item x Select Create icon fromimage Viev x Select Create icon fromimage viev Graphical preview of the item Graphical preview of the item Figure 56 An element with several appearances with different conditions 3 1 6 Activating and deactivating flags Effects To change the state of a flag lt e Adventure gt uses the effect system Effects are the results of different situations and are defined for specific elements in the game e For actions in items and active areas when an action is performed by the user the effects in its block will be triggered one by one e In conversations for each node every node in the conversation can have an effect block After all the lines in the node are read the effects will be triggered one by one before the next node is started e In transitions for cutscenes and exits effects can be added to be triggered just after post effects and in some cases Just before pre effects the next scene is shown Following the same example of the previous sections if we want to activate the beefGrabbed flag when grabbing the beef we have to edit the actions of the item In the Actions tab we should add the Grab action and in the lower part of the panel we should add a new effect using the add button QD to the right of the list The dialog
95. lement reference 06 32 Figure 25 Scene edition panel at the Element references tab After moving and scaling the Book it now sits COMECUY OVER Une TAD IC An te SOCING corc E cadre uaailnssdevanandss tien uueosanout a 33 Figure 26 Set items general view with just one set item in the Chapter ccc cccccccceeeceeesensnneececeeeeeeseeesenneeeeeeees 34 Figure 27 Set item edition panel in the Appearance tab after setting the image ceeeeeeeeeeseeeeeeeeeeeseseeesnenens 35 Figure 28 Character edition panel in the Appearance tab allows for the edition of the characters animations 36 Figure 29 Character edition panel in the Dialog configuration tab This shows the dialog to choose the color of IES TUVALA OOO otc T cas eh pets on ces EAE E A ne netice E S A E E E E ET 37 Figure 30 Dialog nodes a represents the initial node in the conversation and b any other dialog node 38 PAM S52 LOPTOU OO eee E E EE EE EEE 39 SUMS 2 PO O E a a E E E 39 Figure 33 Conversation edition panel with a node Selected cceccccccccececeseeeeesnneeeeeeeeeeeeeeensneaeeeeeecesseesaaaeeeeeeeeees 39 Figure 34 Conversation line CCIM OM ss cciccssissnssataccwcatetarudvasineennenensiuabantubbudicedondascapnincmapsitulbadawessesaindarsuscicnntensnspnleanindieewucns 40 Figure 35 Option panels for different nodes in the graph a shows the options available for dialog nodes and end no
96. lly independent mini game or an act in a theatre play Elements on a chapter are only available within the chapter and not from other chapters in the game The editor can only edit one chapter at a time In the Chapter menu found in the menu bar has options to create import delete and organize the chapters in the game as well as to allow for the modification of the current chapter s name This menu also has options to modify the flags and variables available in the chapter but this will be detailed later on this guide Once a chapter is selected the title the description and the first or initial scene of the chapter can be modified Besides the active evaluation and adaptation profiles can be selected as shown in Figure 7 but these features will be left for the Evaluation and adaptation section of this document 2 1 1 Importing Chapters This feature aims to be a first approach to introduce collaborative edition support in lt e Adventure gt In this manner different authors can distribute the game in chapters implement them separately and then merge them into a single game Full chapters can be added from other existing lt e Adventure gt games We only need to go to Chapters menu and select Import chapter option We must navigate through the folders in the pop up dialog until the desired lt e Adventure gt game is found Then we select XML file defining the chapter to be imported Usually chapter file names are ch
97. low for a greater number of details to be edited such as the name or icon of the action and other features of its behavior These actions are studied in detail among the advanced features of the platform section 3 10 Give to Give to behaves just like the Use with action but the target of this action has to be a character Besides this action is only available for items once they have been grabbed and placed in the inventory By default after an element is given to a character it will disappear from the inventory and the other consequences made evident Drag to This action defined just like Use with only differs from the former in the way it is used by the player during the game The effects of this action will be triggered when the item is dragged onto the target item or character rye Adventure editor New project o o x File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Add Examine action Add Grab action Add Use action Add Custom action Add Use with action Add Give to action Add Drag to action Effect description Edit Effect Conditions 1 My Set var X with value 1 Edit Effect amp Set items x Player ____ _ _ Spe Characters E Conversations g Advanced features Ag Adaptation profiles ae Assessment profiles T Active when conditions are not Fi
98. lt e Adventure gt platform to suit any specific needs There are two types of custom actions depending on the number of game elements involved If the action is unary the action is executed over the own element like eating throwing or turning on it will be called simply an action If the action is binary the action uses the first element but is executed on a second target element like combining elment with element2 or giving element to character2 it will be considered an interaction The drawback is that custom actions require setting the images for the buttons that will use the player to trigger the action For default actions lt e Adventure gt sets predefined buttons e g a hand button for use grab or use with actions although these can also be customized see section 4 3 3 2 However as the platform cannot foresee the meaning of custom actions the author of the game will compulsorily have to define them http e adventure e ucm es 83 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group In addition it may also be required to define a custom animation of the player executing the action For default actions lt e Adventure gt uses animations defined for the player but these may be inaccurate for custom actions However defining the player animation is optional if not set player s use animation will be applied In first person games this step is not required Two images are required fo
99. mon errors 1s to leave the background image of a scene undefined http e adventure e ucm es 92 99 lt e Adventure gt lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es Adventure editor Manual_ File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Tools Chapter 5 Ff Bi Title of the chapter Chapter Title Sani oe Adventure consistency The adventure is inconsistent and will be unplayable until the following errors are solved Chapter Title gt gt Scenes gt gt SceneId gt gt Resources block 1 gt gt The indispensable asset background is not linked to an asset Figure 88 Check adventure consistency dialog 4 3 2 Edit adventure data Launches a pop up dialog for the edition of general adventure data like the title and description In addition it indicates the current adventure mode first person third person and provides a check box that can be used for activating automatic comments in the game When this option is active if the player tries to trigger an interaction with an element that is not available yet because its conditions are not met at that point or that has not been defined then an automatic error message will be spoken by the player s avatar In addition users can configure how dialog lines will be advanced in conversations If keep text until user interacts is active then dialogs will no go on
100. n i of the new action In the new dialog we click the Add condition button A new dialog will ask for a flag or variable Figure 52 We should choose Flag and the beefGrabbed id from the list In the other combo box we select Active as we want the condition to be valid only once the flag has been activated It should be noted that the combobox where we choose the flag is editable meaning that a new flag could also be added as needed without the need of the Edit flags and variables menu http e adventure e ucm es 55 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group Adventure editor Manual Add condition File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Select the type of condition and then the fields appropriate for such type Type Fields of the flag Value active inactive ox canan l Conditions The action Grab will be always executable as no condition has been defined this table Figure 52 Adding a new condition using an existing flag 3 An effect should be added to the Grab action of the beef This will be studied in detail later in this guide 3 1 2 Variables As flags can be limited for some situations such as when something needs to be counted variables are introduced Variables are similar to flags but instead of being either active or inactive they can have a value of 0 or more By default variables start the
101. n presented all the necessary tools to create our first basic lt e Adventure gt game However the platform has some advanced features that increase the potential of games created with it These features are studied in this section 3 1 Conditions and effects The basic elements in lt e Adventure gt are items characters and scenes However they are not enough by themselves to create an interesting game Games require a narrative a story to be told In lt e Adventure gt the story flow is managed by flags and variables Flags work as switches at any point in the game can be either active or inactive New flags can be defined and used to create conditions that can be valid or not at a given point depending on the status of flags On the other hand variables can have integer values and can also be used as part of conditions depending on whether they are greater smaller or equal to a given value 3 1 1 EXAMPLE A simple condition Supposing we have a player with 2 items a beef and a fish The idea is for the player to only be able to grab the fish after having grabbed the beef In our adventure this condition must be expressed as conditions and flags To do this we create a new beefGrabbed flag which will be inactive until the beef is grabbed Once the player grabs the beef the flag will became active and the player should be able to grab the fish The full process 1s 1 Add the new flag This is done in the Chapter gt
102. ntare ec e learning group http e adventure e ucm es m l This is Our Option node Order options randomly Show previous question Showresponse Pre istening conversation options Player is is our first option Player Figure 37 Edition of an option node 2 5 5 EXAMPLE Editing a conversation Starting from a new conversation we select the initial node this node appears by default in the conversation We will add two lines to the conversation the first one read by the player and the second by a character To choose who read the line we are presented with a combo box with all possible characters The text of the line is written directly into the box The next step is to present the player with two options To do this we select the node and using the option panel we add a new option node The new node will be automatically linked to the selected node Options are added to the option node by choosing the Add new option button in the panel This will at the same time create the target node for the option This node will be a dialog or end node The option will be added as a line of the option node which when selected will highlight the corresponding target node We can use This is our first option and This is our second option for the text of the options of the node This will result in a conversation as the one shown in Figure 37 Finally we will create a loop in the conver
103. o S amp File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Tools Appearance Documentation Element references Barriers Active areas Exits Player Movement 2 D e Background image of the scene a Chapter Title a era Foreground mask for the scene Hi a Preview of the complete scene Figure 10 Scene edition panel with the Appearance tab selected The Appearance tab is used to change how the scene is shown or more broadly how it is perceived and the same is true for any other element in lt e Adventure gt that has an Appearance tab For the scene appearance three resources or assets can be edited but only one background image is required while the other two are optional The contents and meanings of the other tabs will be studied later in this guide Background image required This is the most important asset of the scene given that it represents the actual scene in the game These images must be at least 800x600 pixels in size However although all scenes must be exactly 600 pixels in height the width of the scene can be bigger This way in third person games the scene will move along with the player s avatar when it reaches the border of the screen In first person adventure a cursor button will appear to each side of the screen allowing the user to move the background as needed during the game Image
104. of the platform currently available It can be downloaded at http e adventure e ucm es This web site also includes sample games and more information regarding the platform lt e Adventure gt runs both in Windows XP Vista amp 7 and Mac OS X Leopard and Snow Leopard Besides a multi platform version is available and should be suitable for Linux based systems Windows users are strongly advised to use version 1 6 0 18 of the Sun Java runtime environment if problems arise this is freely available online at http www java com Mac users are encouraged to have their systems up to date Every lt e Adventure gt distribution includes both the game engine and the editor The game editor is the application that allows for the creation of games while the game engine is used to run previously created games When running the lt e Adventure gt installer three new folders will be added to the system user folder e g My documents in Windows Projects Exports and Reports The first folder is the default place where new projects are created the second one is the default place for executable game exports to be stored and Reports contains the evaluation reports generated when the games are played Please before you start using lt e Adventure gt make sure you update your Java JRE Java Runtime Environment if necessary http www java com lt e Adventure gt 1 2 was compiled for JRE 1 6 and it is not warranted to work on previous ver
105. r an action button The first will be used to represent the button in normal state The second will be used to represent the button when the mouse is over Figure 79 Icono resaltado btnBrush png btnBrushHighlighted png Figure 79 Example of normal and over images for a custom action button To add a custom action click on the add button QD on the right side of the action list actions tab Within the contextual menu that will appear option Custom action must be selected Then the editor will ask for a name Use the dialog to introduce a representative name for the action take into account that this will be the text used in the game for this action After clicking on the OK button the system will ask if the custom action is unary action or binary interaction If interaction is selected the system will also ask which is the target element involved in the action A new custom action will be added to the list The name and target element in case it is an interaction can be edited although it is not possible to change the type of the action Below the action list an edition panel will appear This panel contains two different tabs Personalization and Configuration Figure 80 Use the Personalization tab to select the images for the action button and animations of the player optional Use the Configuration tab to edit the effects of the action see section 2 3 2 for more details ht
106. rispySauce false GivenCakeDishWithCrispySauce false All User Player General 13 41 08 yer moves hasTrajectory true destination 332 467 Figure 94 Running a game in debug mode 4 6 Configuration menu This menu allows configuring the language of the editor Currently lt e Adventure gt is available in Spanish English Romanian German and Portuguese Please visit http e adventure e ucm es contributors to see a full list of people that kindly produced each translation Without them lt e Adventure gt would never be multi language Thanks 4 7 About menu This menu provides information about contributors and authors It also allows sending comments and suggestions to the development team http e adventure e ucm es 98 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es Send comments and suggestions Name optional e Adventure User E mail optional e adventure e ucm es OS Windows 7 JAVA 1 6 0_18 from Sun Microsystems Inc RELEASE 1 2RC1 20100628 lease use this space for comments or suggestions I have used e Adventure Or I think is very useful the fact of But I have found some problems when I tried to Figure 95 Suggestions and comments dialog http e adventure e ucm es 99 99
107. s for the background as for any other asset in lt e Adventure gt can be PNG JPEG or JPG BMP WBMP or non animated GIF Foreground mask optional The foreground mask is a black and white image that identifies which parts of the background image should be drawn in front of the objects characters and the player and which parts should be drawn behind Figure 11 shows a background image and its corresponding foreground mask http e adventure e ucm es 19 99 lt e Adventure gt lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es gt at li awm aes a TIELET e r ila LILE Figure 11 Background image a and mask b The back parts of the mask mark the parts of the background image that will be painted in the front of other elements and the white parts those that will be painted behind Foreground masks are obsolete and their use is not encouraged as they are rather complex to use and present many limitations This behavior can be reproduced by the use of set items as explained later in this guide which at the same time provide a greater degree of flexibility Background music optional This is a music track that will play in a loop while the scene is on screen It supports both MP3 and MIDI audio 2 2 2 EXAMPLE Defining the assets of a scene To add a background to a new scene we start out by clicking the Select button next to the asset Clicking this will make a dialog
108. sation making the first option the write choice and presenting the user with the question once again if the second option is chosen To do this we select the http e adventure e ucm es 42 99 lt e UCM gt ccscsscssssscccccccccsctes e learning group http e adventure e ucm es target node of the second option click the Link to node button and end by choosing the option node The result should look something like Figure 38 Figure 38 Creating loops in the conversation edition panel The conversation can be previewed in full at any time by clicking the Preview button at the top Figure 39 When a node is selected the Preview from selected node is enabled which allows for the preview of just a part of the conversation Conversation preview Conversationid a Figure 39 A preview of a conversation http e adventure e ucm es 43 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group 2 5 6 The player The player in third person games is the on screen avatar of the real life player In first person games just a few of the configuration values are available for the player This is a character that responds to player input and interacts with the different game elements This player character can be configured just like any other character except for the fact that it lacks actions 2 6 Books Books are included in lt e Adventure gt as a way to provide large amounts of information in a natural
109. se tools are undo redo search back and forward Tools I Dje Figure 6 Edition tools in lt e Adventure gt When an element is selected in the structure panel the properties of that element will be editable in the right side panel This way the structure panel is used to access the different elements modify them delete them and create new ones To perform some of these operations a common set of buttons is used to add new elements D delete elements and duplicate elements 1 These same icons are used in other contexts in the editor Adventure editor New project File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Tools Chapter D Ff Dle gt Title of the chapter Chapter Title Chapter Title Description of the chapter aaa x ae aee Initial scene of the chapter g Advanced features T Scenes mE Cutscene Books Items x Player Figure 7 Initial view of the lt e Adventure gt editor once a new project is created or an existing one opened Now we will proceed to study each element in the structure of an lt e Adventure gt game http e adventure e ucm es 15 99 lt e Adventure gt lt e UCM gt http e adventure e ucm es 2 1 Chapters lt e Adventure gt games can be divided into chapters This allows for games to be fragmented into smaller parts that are easier to manage design edit and maintain Each chapter can be viewed as a tota
110. selection of a recently opened project http e adventure e ucm es 11 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es 1 3 3 Exporting a project as an ead file The editor works with game projects however a project is made up of several different files and can make it hard to distribute the game among students This is the reason why the game engine uses ead files which are zip files with all the game resources To export a game project as an ead file the following steps must be followed 1 Check that the adventure is valid This can be done form the Adventure menu in the menu bar choosing the Check consistency option Should the adventure not be valid the reported errors should be fixed before the adventure can be exported 2 Export the game as an ead file This option can be found in the menu bar at File gt Export project gt Export as EAD file This will prompt us to choose a name and place for the game Figure 3 which after a few seconds will be ready to be played in the engine By default games will be placed in the Exports folder Adventure editor New project 4 File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Tools D e Ble tea Nombre de archivo 1492 eaq Archivos de tipo _ lt e Adventure gt Files ead Figure 3 Exporting a game as an ead file By default the Exports folder will be selected 1 3
111. senaaaceceeeeceseeeesnaaeneeeeeeees 83 Figure 79 Example of normal and over images for a Custom action button 0 0 cccccccceeeeeeeseeeeeeesesesesssssteaeaeaes 84 Figure 80 Adding a new custom action ssseseesessssssoreereerssesssroreerersssesosrereeressssessorereererssssseoreeeersssssosetreeeseessessoseerees 85 Pae A e O a E E A S 86 Figure 82 Properties of a frame in the animations editor cee ceesencececeeceeeseeseneeeceeeececeseesennneeeeeeesseeeseseaaeeeeeees 87 Figure 83 Properties of a transition in the animations editor cccccccccccecesesesensnecececeeeeceeeeecenaeeeceeceeeeeeeesnaaeeeeeeeeees 88 Foure r a a NN OR nce antes eae rete sec once eee setae tice E E vaca eactence EE E 88 Figure 85 Creation of polygonal exits in a SCONC ccc ececcceeceesesseeeseeseeesnensneaeaeaeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeseeesseseseeeseeeeseeeeeeneegegs 89 Pe Oe MOOT CVA OS a ae nate sa eect cae sects acco tact he arose ct ctep T E 90 Pou a OOM COMO Sola esse teers E scent cepnar N msn bees datas E E ENS 9 Figure 88 Check adventure consistency dial0g cccccssssssscsssccccccceeceeceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeseeeeeesessseeeseeeeeeeeeeeaaeaageaaaaaaeaes 93 Fig r OF Advonmite data IANO 2 seseina EAE E E EE a EEEa 94 Figure 90 User interface customization dialog cursors tab sseeeseeesssssssseeeereeessssssseerrreeessssssssesrereeesessssseerreres 95 Figure 91 User interface customization dialog buttons tab ssseeeseseees
112. seseseeseeeseneaeaeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeseseesesesssessesseeseseeseeegags 74 Figure 69 Adaptation profile edition panel after adding a new rule oo ccccccecececeeeeceeseeeeseeeeeeesesesensaeaeaaeaeaes 75 Figure 70 Adaptation rule edition panel LMS State tab ccccccccccccesssssesenecececeeeeeeeeeeesenneaeceeeeceeeeseseenaaeneeeeeeees 76 Figure 71 Adaptation rule edition panel Game state tab ccccccccccceeceseeeeennaeeeeeceeeeeeeeesennnaeeeeeeeeeeesesesnaaeeeeeees 76 Figure 72 Static initial state edition panel in an adaptation profile cccccececccceceeccececeeeeeeceseeeeceseeeesesesesneneaegs 76 Figure 73 Choosing the adaptation and assessment profiles in the chapter edition panel ccceeseeeeeeeeerenenees 77 Figure 74 Active areas tab in the scene edition panel ee ceecesesecececeeeceeeeeennnececeeceeseseeneaaaeeececeeeeeeeeneaaeeeeeees 78 Figure 75 Barrier edition tab in the scene edition panel cccccccccccceceeseesesnneeeeececeeeeeeennnaeaeeeeeeeseesesenaeeeeeeeeees 79 Figure 76 Player movement tab in the scene edition panel ccccccccccceceeeeeesensececeeceeceseensennneceeeeeeeseeeennaaeeeeeees 80 Figure 77 Editing the influence area of an element reference in the Element references tab ceeeseesseeeeeeees 81 Figure 78 Edition of advanced features Timers tab csesssccccecceeeeeeesesennnececeeeeeeceseee
113. sions JRE version 1 6 0_ 18 is recommend and can be downloaded at http java sun com products archive j2se 6ul 8 index html If you find lt e Adventure gt of your interest and want to find out about our publications and other investigations of our research group you can visit our web site http www e ucm es 1 2 About this document This document aims to be a complete user guide including descriptions of every feature available in lt e Adventure gt Although features of the engine and editor are described this document focuses on the use of the editor for the creation of new educational video games We tried to cover every available feature but some of them might be left out We apologize for any inconvenience This is not the only documentation available about lt e Adventure gt You could find shorter tutorials and other learning materials on our website http e adventure e ucm es You can also access the contextual http e adventure e ucm es 9 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es help pages that are embedded in the lt e Adventure gt editor application Just click on any info button like this and context sensitive information will be displayed This guide was prepared to be read from start to end taking the reader though the different parts of the editor in an order that can be easily followed and that usually goes from the easiest to the hardest details However this guide
114. sssssssessesereesessssesreeereeeessssssssereeessssssseseene 95 Figure 92 User interface customization dialog inventory tab cccccccececceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeseseeseseseeseeeeeeseeeeneeegegs 96 Figure 93 Graphic configuration dialog cccccccccccsssseseeeesesennsnsneaeaeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeseeesesessssesessseesesessasaggaegaaeagageaeaes 97 Figure 94 Running a game in debug mode cece ceceseeeseesesnsneaeaeeaeceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesseseseeseseesseessassasasaegeasaaeaeaes 98 Figure 95 Suggestions and comments CIA OG ixc 5asieacesvaseddondseesentecatannenetcunsumeueie noaisndaaaabWeuaesyasovineedsovamennsdSbvenseoebitees 99 http e adventure e ucm es 8 99 e learning group http e adventure e ucm es 1 lt e Adventure gt basics 1 1 About lt e Adventure gt lt e Adventure gt is a platform for the development of classic adventure computer games with educational purposes although other types of 2D games can also be produced This platform was developed by the lt e UCM gt research group http www e ucm es at the Complutense University in Madrid Adventure games sometimes referred to as graphic or point and click adventures include games such as the Monkeylsland or Myst sagas original titles of the genre The platform is specially focused on this genre because it is considered one of the most suitable for educational purposes lt e Adventure gt 1 3 RC2 is the latest version
115. t the game The other editors Learning Object properties for SCORM 1 2 IMS LOM and LOM ES properties are very similar to this one but include meta data of the IMS LOM standards a specification on with IEEE based LSTC LOM and LOM ES a particularization to the Spanish educational system This editors change some words and some fields In the case of LOM ES all fields have default values given that they are all required After editing the meta data of the game the game can be exported as a LO The LO will be a ZIP file that will be saved in our folder of choice Exports folder by default To do this we use the File gt Export as Learning Object menu A dialog will allow us to select the packaging we want for our game For a SCORM export the adaptation and evaluation profiles should fit those specifications or the game will not be exported The same is true for AGREGA requiring SCORM 2004 profiles More information regarding this is to be found in section 3 5 Other fields in the export dialog are the name of the Learning Object of the author and of the organization and a checkbox that defines whether the game will run within the web browser or in a separate window The author and organization name will be displayed in a security policy panel when running the game and should be 6 characters or longer After clicking OK we will have to select the path of the LO After the export process is finished the game can
116. ther things the player can talk with Characters also referred to as NPC or Non Player Characters have several differences to the items from the edition point of view In the first place characters can be assigned animations providing them with life like characteristics Moreover some actions are different given that characters cannot be grabbed used or given to but they can receive an item and can be talked to However characters can be dragged http e adventure e ucm es 35 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es 2 5 1 Create a new character New characters are added following a similar procedure to other objects To do this see sections 2 3 1 and 2 4 1 Ones the character is added some difference become apparent The appearance of this sort of element requires much more resources This means that different animations must be provided for different situations talking grabbing and walking and with different orientations Figure 28 7 j Adventure editor New project lo 0 amp File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Tools Appearance Documentation Dialog configuration Actions 9 assets animation cristo Looking down 34 assets animation cristo Create Edit view Looking right 3 assets animation cristo Create Edit Looking left Fs Cesc Looking down Figure 28 C
117. tp e adventure e ucm es 84 99 lt e Adventure gt lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es Adventure editor Chocolate File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Appearance Documentation Resources Group Button Image for the normal button state Image for the button when the mouse is over it x SERD ee IRANE EOE ele g Figure 80 Adding a new custom action NOTE Please take into account that the optimum resolution for action button s images is 40x40 pixels Recommended format is PNG Buttons defined with images that do not comply with these guidelines may behave unexpectedly 3 11 Built in art resources edition tools Although art resources have to be produced with specialized tools e g Adobe Photoshop TM lt e Adventure gt provides support to make some slight adjustments or produce simple art resources Some of these features have already been described For example in section 2 3 1 how to remove the white background of an image is described In this section two tools are explained the animations editor and the HTML editor 3 11 1 Animations editor This editor allows customizing animations for the lt e Adventure gt game engine Animations produced with this editor will be stored in format eaa which is a proprietary format for lt e Adventure gt These
118. ture e ucm es The Red Currants The Red currant Ribes rubrum isa member of the genus Ribes in the gooseberry family Grossulariaceae native to parts of western Europe Belgium France Germany Netherlands Northern Italy Northern Spain and Portugal Itis a deciduous shrub normally growing to 1 1 5 m tall occasionally 2 m with five lobed leaves arranged spirally on the stems The flowers are inconspicuous yellow green in pendulous 4 8 cm racemes maturing into bright red translucent edible berries about 8 12 mm diameter with 3 10 berries on each raceme An established bush can produce 3 4 kilos of berries from mid to late summer Figure 45 A web page about raspberries Books with formatted text are created in the same way as simple content book but in this case we choose the Formatted text option just after clicking the add button The resulting panel will look like the one in Figure 40 In this case the top section of the panel is used to manage the pages of the book We ll start off by adding a new page creating a new series of editable field in the table There are three different options as to how to provide the content of the page e Local resource This option allows us to select a file from our system The selected file will be copied automatically to the project folder e URL This provides access to documents hosted in a web server This allows us to select a web page that might need to be updated at a further time ho
119. venture editor New project loal B x File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Tools 5 D Appearance Documentation Element references Barriers Active areas Exits Player Movement Chapter Title T Scenes Office ae Restaurant ae Cutscenes Allow to choose the player s layer av Preview of the element location Items rrr IHL Conversations g Advanced features Adaptation profiles o Assessment profiles Figure 24 Scene edition panel Element references tab just after adding a new element reference As most elements in lt e Adventure gt element references can be scaled and moved using drag and drop Changes in the element reference only affect that reference and not the item in itself Besides this panel includes fields just on top of the preview to modify the position and scale of the references with higher precision This allows the book to be correctly placed over the table in our example Figure 25 http e adventure e ucm es 32 99 lt e UCM gt e learning group http e adventure e ucm es r Adventure editor New project File Edit Adventure Chapters Run Configuration About Tools n D e Appearance Documentation Element references Barriers Active areas Exits Player Movement Chapter Title T Scenes
120. vided Figure 86 FATAL ERROR This should not happen Name optional e Adventure User E mail optional e adventure e ucm es OS Windows 7 JAVA 1 6 0_18 from Sun Microsystems Inc RELEASE 1 24RC1 20100628 Please write a short description of what you where doing I was using the engine with a game dowloaded from and when I tyried grab an object in the scene sudenly this dialog hppeared T ound exception javea lang NullPointerException at es eucm eadventure engine core control Game updateDataPer 5 at e5 eucm eadventure engine core control gamestate GameStat at es eucm eadventure engine core control Game run Game jave es eucm eadventure engine EAdventureDebug normalBun EAdve gt 29 eucm eadventure _editor control Controllers3 _run Contre d3 o rr 1 r a mi rn Figure 86 Error dialog In case this may happen users are kindly asked to fill in the form provided as much information as possible and press the Send button The information presented in the dialog and nothing else will be automatically sent to the lt e Adventure gt development team Thanks for your cooperation Zoom in panels In some panels it is possible to zoom in out its content by using a slider and the zoom in BR and out buttons This feature allows inspecting parts of the game in more detail and placing elements in the http e adventure e ucm es 90 99 lt e UCM gt e learn
121. w green in pendulous 4 8 om racemes maturinginta bright red translucent edible bemes about 12 mm diameter with 3 10 berries on each raceme An established bush can produce 3 4 kilos of berries from mid ta late SUMMED Figure 46 Preview of a formatted text book The other button in the lower part of the panel Export HTML book creates a version of the book as image files for use in the engine instead of directly using the HTML files This is provided to optimize the engine especially in regards to future platforms where HTML support might be limited We encourage you to use this feature when no further editing in the book is expected 2 7 Cutscenes lt e Adventure gt cutscenes are used to display multimedia content that are shown in full screen mode have limited user intervention and after finishing are followed by new scenes or cutscenes There are two basic kinds Slidescenes and Videoscenes The ones of the first kind are made up of a series of images The ones of the second kind use videos in MOV AVI or MPG with some important format and codec restrictions due to limited support in Java 2 7 1 Slidescenes To add a new slidescene we click the add button next to the Cutscene element when it is selected in the structure panel In the dialog we choose the Slidescene option and this will result in a new panel with three tabs Figure 47 http e adventure e ucm es 49 99 lt e U
122. wever this option would require the user to have an active Internet connection When this kinds of pages are used the reference will need to be validated and the icon to the right will turn green if OK e Image This allows us to use any image as a page in a book For instance this can be used to attach slides of a PowerPoint presentation if exported as image files as pages of a book Besides the margins for each page in the book can be edited independently from the table This can be useful for big images that do not fit correctly on the screen of if the background image needs a certain margin such as the one used by default All four margins can be edited independently in the dialog that appears for that purpose The changes to the book are reflected automatically in the preview section of the panel For a full preview there is a Preview button included After adding the HTML file to the book the preview button results in a window as the one in Figure 46 http e adventure e ucm es 48 99 http e adventu re e ucm es The Red currant Ribes rubrum isa member of the genus Aibes in the gooseberry family Grossulariaceae native to parts of western Europe Belgium France Germany Netherlands Northern Italy Northern Speier and Portugal itis a deciduous shrub manmally growing to 1 1 5 m tall occasionally 2 m with fiva lobed leaves arranged soral onthe stems The Towers are inconspicuous yello
123. y of each element reference by using flags variables or game states as explained in section 3 1 1 Elements can appear or disappear in the scene depending on the conditions established 3 2 3 References list In this panel all the element references and the player are displayed They are ordered according to their layer References can be added or deleted using add 2 and delete 2 buttons on the right side of this panel Although this process is straightforward for more information on how to add each type of element see sections 2 3 4 items 2 4 3 set items and 2 5 3 characters In addition up t and down buttons allow to modify the layer of any element reference 3 2 4 Elements preview This sub panel provides a preview of how the elements will look in the scene In addition this panel allows modifying the position and scale of each element reference To modify an element reference just click on the element and then drag the green square on the upper right corner to vary its size scale or drag the element itself to place the element in a different position http e adventure e ucm es 67 99 e learning group http e adventure e ucm es On the bottom of this panel controls to hide show elements are provided Items Characters etc We can hide groups of elements by just deactivating the appropriate category see Figure 62 Hiding a group of elements will only affect the preview on t

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