DCGames, Game Creation Tool
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DCGames is a Shareware game creation tool made by DCSoftware, which is run by David Hernandez.
They describe it as:
"DCGames is a toolkit designed to create the best Computer Role Playing Games(Crpg's) on the market.With Dcgames you can create custom worlds, epic adventures, and incredible storylines all without writing a single line of complex code. A simple, yet extremely powerful scripting language allows for the customization of almost every imaginable facet of the game engine. Dcgames is a product that has been in development for several years and is constantly changing and expanding. Discover your ambitions,and let your imagination come to life with Dcgames."
It supplies you with a basic tile-based graphics engine and it's own scripting language similiar to C, with a few bits much like BASIC. I love it because of it's ease, and versatility. The default scripts are for an RPG, but with modifications, virtually any type of game can be made. It runs at 640x480 at 256 colors. I reccomend all non-programmer AbyssWare members download it. You can get it http://www.dcgames.com/ftp/, for more information on it, go to http://www.dcgames.com. Future AbyssWare projects may be done with DCGames, because it is so portable: 1 member can do the sounds, 1 member can do graphics, 1 can do scripting, and someone else puts them all together seamlessly. I will be posting links and other information I come across here. Any cool files I make for DCGames I will upload here for download.
Isles of Dreamoor: Shattered Crystals- this is a game I used to be creating through DCGames. There is lots of information about it here. I've given up on the project, however, but I'm leaving it up anyway, just in case someone wants to see how my mind works :-)
Stuff I made:
If you use these, please tell me. It would also be nice if you could give me some files you made (you know, a trade), but I won't insist on it. If you do want to send me something, I need character tiles the most. Please tell me what you think of these and report any script bugs to me!
Some of these graphics are modified from Spritelib. You should probably get a Spritelib access number (hey, they're free), because they have some great graphics (and some not so great graphics).
Tiles:
In pcx format for editing
Most of these are made to be edited into your graphics. By themselves, they aren't that useful.
Stone floor - Excellent for dungeons and some indoor residences (like castles). I consider this one of my best works. The lava and slime here go very well with the stone. If you don't download anything else, download this!
A blank tile thing - This is a blank tile template. I've found this to be useful when making new tiles.
Evil Dungeon Graphics - This is good for making evil dungeons. It gives any world that "dark" feeling
Outdoor Graphics - Water, trees, mountains, etc.
Space Tiles - Space: the final frontier.... Now you can create sci-fi games through DCGames!
Scripts:
in text format for online viewing and instructions, just rename to .scr files in dos
Inkeepers - Final Fantasy style, if you've played any FF games. Easy to implement.
Mercanaries - Mercanaries that join you. Very simple and easy to use.
Pickpockets - Updated 8/17/98! Version 3!Town thieves that steal from you, and virtually steal from other NPCs. They also grab objects laying around. If you catch them, you get the money they have. Takes some work to implement. Bug fix; bug pointed out by Imi. Very Cool!.
Toll-Collectors - Charges the player to pass them. Takes a little work to use.
Animated Objects v2.0 - Makes Objects animate. New Version fixes old bug.
Moving NPCs - Updated 8/17/98! Version 2! Tired of NPCs that just stand there? Not anymore. This script lets you have NPCs that walk around randomly. Bug fix, once again, pointed out by Imi, and some additions of my own. Much better!
Teller Script - You may have found that the teller.scr that comes with DCGames has a bug. This one doesn't.
Chest Script - Makes NPCs that are chests, when the script is run it displays the backpack of the NPC, effectively making chests that hold up to 16 objects. It also allows you to place traps in the chests that do bad things to the player. Just read through the scripts header to see what they all do.
Arrest Script - NEW! This script allows you to have guards that can arrest you and do one of two things - fight you, or throw you in jail. Easy to use.
WarCraft Style - This is just part of the code that you will need to make a WarCraft style game. This lets you click on a character and take control of it, sort of like WarCraft I and II. I'm working on more (actually an entire game).
Stuff sent in by other DCGames users
Fried Dragon's Banker Script - Fried Dragon asked me to put this here. It lets you create banks that will store your money for you. UPDATED
Imi's Cut To/From Bits Script - One of the most useful scripts in existance. Allows you to cut any variable into 16 variables that contain 0 or 1. Why, you ask? You can use so a player variable (v1, we'll say) contains diseases, and stuff. That way the player can have 16 different diseases on him, not counting the built in varaiables (poisoned, confused, etc.)DOWNLOAD NOW!
All of the below tools in one file: -
-->DCGLink3 - Add local variables, #includes (for you C/C++ programmers), filter files, etc.
-->DCWImi - Imi's alternate version of DCWorld. More features but no npc/object support.
-->PCX2WLD - Convert a .pcx file into a DCG world file. Basically DCWorld wuth a "maximum zoom".
-->CheckEnd - Useful for those of us that get the error about an endif needed at the very bottom line of the script. You know the endif doesn't go there, but where does it go? CheckEnd finds the spot where the missing endif goes.
-->PAL2PAL - Edits pallettes by making them darker, lighter, etc. Useful for making day/night pallettes, etc.
-->PCX2VH1, not PCX2BLK, PCX2VH1 is better for people with multiple pages of tiles for one vh1 file (I think it only works with .vh1 files, so in 5.0 a new version might have to be made). No .lst files used.
-->TextEdit - Edits text.dta without entering DCWorld.
Links:
DCGames - The main DCGames webpage, it also has the DCGames WWW-Board, an online bulletin board.
DCGamers FTP Site - The Unoffical DCGamers FTP page. They used to have a lot of stuff, but don't any more. They promise to have a lot soon.
LostDragon's Homepage - Lost Dragon was one of the first people to use DCGames, and his game DBQuest is legend among people who use DGames, I would reccomend a trip here, as he has an extensive link collection to many great sites, along with DBQuest, a freeware game made through DCGames.
DCSoftware - This is the old site for DCGames, but it has a little bit more information and some links not found at the other site.
The DCGames WWW-Board This is an online bulletin board for discussion of DCGames, it is used mostly for questions people have while coding and making graphics.
Mike's DCGames Page - This is the person who makes the MDI Script editor, a tool for editing DCGames scripts.
SpaceDragon's Webpage - He is developing the game Knight Fall through DCGames.
C. McAuley's Webpage - He is developing the game Other World.
Wolfpack Software - They are developing Legends of Old.
Firestone Software - I don't know what they're doing, but it involves DCGames.
Lord BlackFang's Castle - He is making the Slovennian Saga: Trilogy 1: Part 1
Please tell me if you find any more, or find any dead links.