xml

Making The Game – Teil 14: Wissensbasis und Fragenauswahl / Arbeiten mit XML

The knowledge- or question-base is at the heart of the program. Here are all questions and answers listed by category. Because it should not be required to create audio files for each of these databases, the first lines of the XML file tells the program if the questions are read aloud in the game or only appear textually.                 true      …   (Note: The application and the decision to record all audio parts manually now are six months old. If I would create this app now, I would try a different approach and fall back to a TTS-API, such as the […]

audio

Making The Game – Teil 13: Das Soundmanagement

The sound design has a large share of the overall impact of games. Thus, the right music and a properly placed sound-effect subconsciously contribute to the current situation. The desired effect is often achieved only through the interaction of images and sound.   Besides the host of the application, who has only a accustic appearance, several effects and music parts are played, for example if the correct answer to a question is given. In order for this sounds to proceed simultaneously, but individually controllable, music, sound effects and speech are played on each separate audio channel. Through the use of channels we also ensure that only one voice file, per […]

library

Making The Game – Teil 12: Die Grafikbibliothek

Since graphical objects, such as the buttons on the menus and background images, are used multiple times and in different areas in the program a central location that provides the graphics is essential. The so-called library can be created in Flash decoupled from the actual project and edited independently of the program. Libraries in Flash are marked ba the extension *.swc. These also include, in addition to graphics, functions which are already compiled. By providing compiled objects the calculation. In practice the separation of code and graphical elements are used to that graphic designers and programmers can work simultaneously on a project. Once the graphics are changed they can be […]

gtts

Die inoffizielle Google Text-To-Speech API

The fact that Googles Translation-Application translate.google.com offers the possibility to readout an inserted text (TTS text to speech), is nothing new. The specialty, however, are the possibilities that arise through this feature.   The data for the audio output is in fact called by a simple HTTP GET (REST) ​​request:   http://translate.google.com/translate_tts?tl=de&q=text     By this request, which provides an MP3 file, can easily realize TTS-applications and works, thanks to the multilingualism of Google’s service, also for many other languages​​. The only drawback to this method is a limitation which allows only a maximum of 100 characters per request.   The main URL parameters in this case, the two for […]