Flight of the Amazon Queen - AMOS

Hi,
If Flight of the Amazon Queen was programmed using AMOS, it is possible to see the code used? because I'm interested in programming games.

Thanks,

[z00mba]

I doubt FOTAQ was coded in AMOS, more likely it's coded in C and use some SCUMM-like (Lucas' scripting language for Adventure games) script language (if not SCUMM).

Anyway when a program is compiled into a binary file (executable) there's no way to get the source code back in the language it was written with. All you can see if the ASM code (wich won't help you too much if you are a newbie and code only in Basic).

To create point and click adventure game I think there is some software that allow you to create this kind of games without much programming knowledge. I've seen some on Windows but I'm pretty sure there was also on Amiga. I don't know what they worth tho. You may also want to look at BlitzBasic or why not Flash...

Wikipedia says it was coded using AMOS

[Adderly]

normally you can read "AMOS" anywhere if you do a hexview on a game coded with Amos, but i did not found this on FOTAQ...

[Ironclaw]

I can't imagine a professional game like FOTAQ was coded in Amos... no way

[adolescent]

Why not? Commercial AMOS games aren't that rare.

[z00mba]

Originally Posted by Ironclaw

I can't imagine a professional game like FOTAQ was coded in Amos... no way

Erm... why not? There is a few quality games that are coded in basic, to name a few: Another World (GFA), Genesia (AMOS), Skidmarks (BlitzBasic)... Using a high-level language like basic to make the structure of the games and some optimised routines in asm when needed allow a faster and easier development than if you code everything in asm.

[dlfrsilver]

You can add the shortgrey !!! it's an AMOS game.

And hell yes, FOTAQ use a C coded engine like Indy 4 have !

[pbareges]

greatest amiga game coded in Basic ever (Blitz) : Worms!!! i can't believe another world was coded in GFA ...are you sure about this one ? as far as i can remember there were not any instructions/routine favoring games development in GFA like in AMOS and Blitz...also AMOS cannot handle AGA screemodes (even if some extensions exist it's really difficult to implement) and FOTQ is AGA...the fact that is was a multiplatform adventure game also favors the idea that it was coded in C....

[z00mba]

My mistake, I read some comments Eric Chahi made about the making of Another World a few weeks ago and I only remembered he used GFA. But in fact he mades the display engine in ASM (DevPac) and the editors and script interpreter in GFA. So the game use GFA for the skeleton and design tools and ASM for the display. I think it's like in Skidmarks where inline ASM where used along with BlitzBasic.

[dlfrsilver]

FOTAQ is 32 colors, it's an ECS game. Not an aga game ^^

check HOL.

[Frog]

GFA is a popular language on ST and often used by demomaker too to precalculated or do some tools, a bit as for Another World.

if you want to code some games then perhaps you can find some sources code on www.aminet.net
I think BlitzBasic or AmigaE have a better support.

[Chain]

Originally Posted by Frog

GFA is a popular language on ST and often used by demomaker too to precalculated or do some tools, a bit as for Another World.

if you want to code some games then perhaps you can find some sources code on www.aminet.net
I think BlitzBasic or AmigaE have a better support.

fotaq is scummvm supported game, it wasnt created in amos for sure

[z00mba]

Talking about GFA, do you peoples know it was ported to x86/Win32? I remember I tested a nice 3D world / meshes authoring program (Cybermotion 3D Designer) not so long ago and it's coded entirely in GFA. The apps is really amazing and I almost fall off my chair when I realised it's coded in this language.

Originally Posted by Chain

fotaq is scummvm supported game, it wasnt created in amos for sure

Ah thank for the confirmation; I was pretty sure it was using SCUMM... guess I'm a bit lazy tho

[CFou!]

Originally Posted by dlfrsilver

You can add the shortgrey !!! it's an AMOS game.

And hell yes, FOTAQ use a C coded engine like Indy 4 have !

you are right

and in my memory French FOTAQ demo seemed coded in amos ....

but final game ?????

[jrom]

also... FOTAQ was also 'ported' to PC or the other way around... doing that all in AMOS seems a bit of a gigantic overhaul

[thor]

Originally Posted by Chain

fotaq is scummvm supported game, it wasnt created in amos for sure

ScummVM supports only the PC version, not the Amiga one.

[CodyJarrett]

I emailed John Passfield who was one of the Amazon Queen developers:

Yes, the Amiga version was originally written in AMOS then converted over to C code, in fact the source code in C has a lot of emulated AMOS function calls.
The PC version was also converted across using the same C code base.

The tools to build the game were also written in AMOS and the entire game editing was done on the Amiga computer.

The game engine was called JASPAR - for "John And Steve's Programmable Adventure Resource"

The tools were:
JOKER - the game edtor. This allowed the building of rooms, laying out of objects and actors and walk paths, etc.
ACE - the cut scene editor.
DOG - the conversation tree editor.

I wrote the engine and tools and Tony Ball converted the JASPAR engine to the PC.

[CFou!]

Originally Posted by CodyJarrett

I emailed John Passfield who was one of the Amazon Queen developers:

thank for information... in fact game must use SCUMM format for file(s) but motor was written in amos&c

Can you ask to John Passfield if french amiga version was finished (but not released)?

I had played to french demo included in french issue....

[quahappy]

This makes very interesting reading and has certainly surprised me that this game was originally written in AMOS and then converted into C. When AMOS Compiler was released, I had to adjust parameters within any programs I did to slow it down!

Makes you wonder how many other games were coded in AMOS first?!