windows vista

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windows vista

Postby jarrow-lad » Thu Feb 14, 2008 3:19 pm

I have adventure maker 3.5.5, {i know its old} and i tried it on vista but it will not work, will i have to buy the new ver, or will you make a patch for all us old timers. I think it be fair for you to make a patch so we can still enjoy this software.
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Postby GM-Support » Thu Feb 14, 2008 3:58 pm

Dear jarrow-lad,

As you know, the version 3.5 dates back to as long as 4 years ago and unfortunately it is no longer supported.

Implementing the compatibility with Vista is not as easy as it may seem, and we cannot afford keeping multiple branches with such old versions.

Please consider the fact that the last 4 updates (from 4.1 to 4.4) have been completely free, and we introduced lots of major new features without charging a cent for the update.

This proves that we really don't like charging for upgrades, but, once again, we really cannot afford to develop such a big feature like Vista compatibility on top of such an old version like v3.5.

You can still find an upgrade from version 3.x to v4.x here. I cannot guarantee that these upgrade options will remain available for a long time (because the v3.x user base is small), so I recommend you to use them while they are still available. For example, you can currently upgrade from v3.x Pro to v4.x Full Edition for non-commercial use for USD 35 (instead of the USD 99 full price). Upgrading will also give you lots of new features.

Thank you for your understanding.

Best regards,
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Postby jarrow-lad » Fri Feb 15, 2008 1:34 pm

Thanks GM maybe i will upgrade :)
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No Patch?!?! My $ and Projects down the toilet : (

Postby James Rasmusson » Wed Feb 27, 2008 5:51 pm

I purchased version 2.0 for $39.00 and then invested more cash into the
3.2 upgrade so that I could produce programs I could sell commercially.

I have spent hundreds of hours on projects some of which I now offer commercially, but now it looks like it's only a matter of time till all that work is wasted as Vista users increase and my audio dependant graphical interfaces are dead.

My IBM laptop with WinXP crashed at the end of 2007 so I picked up
an acer dual core with Vista. I was disappointed to find all my projects where incompatable with the future.
I'm sure this was a dissapointment for the developers of adventure maker as well.

There must be some fix to get the sounds to play in vista and I appeal to you the makers of Adventure Maker to develope the patch even though you would like all your customers to move up in the world to your latest - more advanced, more complicated and more costly version.

Yes the newer versions of Adventure Maker have alot functionality but I cannot simply re-compile my project files with the newer versions without having to hunt down and re-connect a thousand goofed up frames and thier
active links, (newer versions of Adventure Maker are not compatible with older projects)

Some of my projects are still in developement on the earlier version and I don't want to start over again with each new upgrade.

I just want to use the original software I purchased to continue making the type of games and gadgets I've made and to finish the many projects I've already started.

Any help you could give I would appreciate.

Sincerely,

Jim
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Postby GM-Support » Wed Feb 27, 2008 7:02 pm

Hello Jim,

Although maintaining the old version 3.2 of Adventure Maker (dating back to May 2002) is technically very difficult for us, and would require resources that we don't have, I am determined to find a solution to each of the points you mentioned, so that you can keep creating commercial games and make them work on the latest system configurations.


I cannot simply re-compile my project files with the newer versions without having to hunt down and re-connect a thousand goofed up frames and thier active links, (newer versions of Adventure Maker are not compatible with older projects)

This surprised me, because AM is supposed to be more backward compatible than this, especially as far as hyperlinks and sounds are concerned (which did not change since the introduction of the new sound system in v3.1).

Can you please provide more details on the incompatibilities you notice when you try to open your 3.2 projects with the newer versions of Adventure Maker?


Thank you, and please remain assured that we will find a solution.

Regards,
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Thanks for your committment, sorry for my ranting

Postby James Rasmusson » Fri Mar 07, 2008 5:31 pm

Thank you for your committment to finding answers for the Vista problem. Sorry if I seemed harsh in my original comments.

I really have enjoyed your product and I know that you have spent far more time on it than I have on any of my projects. Thanks for Adventure Maker!

One of my favorite projects is a walk through adventure in our first house. In it the players (my kids) have to rescue their dad (me) who has been kidnapped by Dr. Tickle (my alter ego) and hidden somewhere in the nooks and crannys. They also have to find our first dog - 12 times. It is a very personalized keepsake that captures our lives at a precious time when the kids were young. It also captures the exact details of our home - even what's in the refridgerator.

This is one strong reason I would like to have a patch for the sound. It
is filled with the sounds of that time, including my kids voices, etc.

Another of my favorite developements is a collection of audio - visual classroom review games which includes 22 concentration games and several guess who, guess where and guess what games. There is a sound effect with every turn of a card or drag and drop so not having the sound takes alot away from them. Available here:
http://www.puppetstage.net/3guess_who_a ... _games.htm


Concerning the problems with new versions:

As I recall, I was well into a project when a new version came out.
When I opened the project in the new version, I found links that no longer worked properly. Since projects contain many hot spots, actions and variables, I was real hesitant to go through my whole project to varify and/or correct "thousands" of details. Just easier to go back to the earlier version and not be "suprised" by errors after lots of work.


Thanks again!

Have a great day!

Jim
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Postby GM-Support » Sat Mar 08, 2008 5:58 pm

Hello Jim,


I have looked into every release since version 3.2 to find what may cause the incompatibilities you are experiencing concerning the hotspots.

I have found that between version 3.3 and version 3.4 there was a major change in the way the background picture was displayed: prior to v3.4, the background picture was "stretched" to fit the size of the frame (this was the default behavior, unless you chose "tile"). Starting from v3.4, the default behavior was to display the picture at 1:1 size, without resizing it. Therefore, if your pictures don't have the exact same size as your frames, it is likely that the hotspots will be misplaced when you upgrade from v3.2 to a version newer than 3.4.

(Note: The option to automatically resize the pictures was reintroduced in v4.4, but it only applies to new frames)


If this is indeed the cause of your problem, it can be solved very easily and quickly.

This is what I recommend you to do:

1) First of all, verify that what I explained is indeed the cause of your problem. To do so, simply open one of your pictures with a drawing program (you will find the pictures under the "Frames" folder that is inside your project folder), and verify that its size (in pixels) is indeed different from the size of your frames (i.e. the "Frame Size" that appears under the "options" tab of the "Project Properties" of your game).

If the size is different:

2) Create a backup of your project.

3) Simply resize all the pictures so that their size is the same as the Frame Size. To do so, just open the free tool named "Batch Picture Resize And Compress" that is included in the package of AM 4.4 (any edition), select all the pictures that are under the "Frames" folder inside your project folder, choose the "resize" option, uncheck the option "Constrain proportions", click "Next", and start the process. Once you have finished, replace your project pictures with the resized ones (located inside the "output" folder - you will see the instructions on screen).

Note: the free tool can only produce JPG images. If some backgrounds are GIFs, when you replace them with the resized pictures, you may need to select the resized JPG in the frame properties.

4) Open your project with AM 4.4 (any edition). The problem should be fixed.


By the way, congratulations for your games, they look really nice!

Best regards,
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Thanks for the help

Postby James Rasmusson » Mon Mar 17, 2008 7:20 pm

Thanks for the help concerning version compatabilty.

Thanks also for looking at my games. Could your hear the many sounds
associated with those games? I still cannot, while running them under Windows Vista.

That is my major concern, people being able to use the projects I have previously created both now and in the future. Initially I attempted to 'run in xp compatability mode' etc. But no help.

I would sure be grateful if there was something to fix that. What did you do with the Adventure maker software to make it compatible with Vista?

Thanks again.
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Postby GM-Support » Tue Mar 18, 2008 5:35 pm

Hello Jim,

Please check your "private messages" for a message of March 8, concerning your game. (to do so, just click "You have 1 new message" at the top of the page).

Thanks,
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