[DYNRPG] CMS TOOLS: GLOBAL SAVE DATA

Store a range of variables

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CMS Tools: Global Save Data (Store a range of variables) v1.0
For RPG Maker 2003 with DynRPG v0.13 or higher
By PepsiOtaku
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This plugin was designed to work alongside the CustomSaveLoad patch. It saves variables from a particular save file into a binary "database" (SaveGlobal.dyn) and assigns them an identifier based on the save file (Save13.lsd = an id of 13). Using this identifier, the plugin can import those variables from another save file.

This was built specifically for making a custom save/load menu. Imagine you are pressing up/down through save files. Each time you do this, the menu needs to load specific pieces of data like HP & MP for each character, gold, time played, etc. Each file has a separate set of data that has to be loaded on the spot. This simplifies this process by using a variable called "ExportVar" as an export trigger (for saving) and a variable called "ImportVar" as an import trigger (for loading). Set the ExportVar to the Save ID to index your variable range, and set the ImportVar to the index you want to load. VarRangeStart and VarRangeEnd are used to define the variable range you wish to export/import.

Specifically, if you set your ExportVar to a number (9 for example), it takes what's currently stored in VarRangeStart-VarRangeEnd and places it into the SaveGlobal.dyn file under an index of "09." If you set the ExportVar to 37, it will do the same thing in an index of "37." Indexes are stored in binary format in sequential order, so between save 9 and 37 would be a a ton of zeros if there was no data saved within indexes 10-36.

For loading, set the ImportVar to the index number, and it will load the data for VarRangeStart-VarRangeEnd and store them in those variables for the save file you have loaded. In my case, the index id's are the save slots. This way, you could be in Save 37, and see what's those 100 variables were in Save 9.

The one exception is that you can't use "0" for an index number. It has to be at least 1 due to how the binary file is structured.

With that in mind, if your range is 4101-4200, You could use the set variable command to set variable 4101 to a number representing a party member, v4102 to that member's max HP, v4103 to their max MP, etc. You can kind of interpret that functionality in any way that would suit you, be it a save system, a high score system or anything else you can think up that uses variables.

NOTE: Stick to small variable ranges. I wouldn't use more than 100 variables in your range, as you may get unpredictable results, or crashes.

NOTE 2: Do not set your variable range to 100 vars, save a bunch of games, and then set your range to 200 vars as this will corrupt the data in SaveGlobal.dyn. You must delete your old SaveGlobal.dyn, and then let the plugin create a new one.


(This is what the database looks like)


In the above 2 screens, information from 2 separate save files are being loaded as the user pressed up or down.

Installation

To install the plugin, make sure that you have patched your project with cherry's AutoEnter patch, CustomSaveLoad patch, and DynRPG

1. Patch DynRPG onto your BetterAEP/CustomSaveLoad RPG_RT.exe.

2. Copy the "global_save_data.dll"into the DynPlugins folder of your own project.

3. Add the following (between the asterisks) to your DynRPG.ini

**********************************************


[global_save_data]
VarRangeStart=4101
VarRangeEnd=4130
ExportVar=3346
ImportVar=3351

**********************************************


4. Change the numeric values to the variables of your choice. Again, it's super important that you stick to less than 100 variables in your range. You probably don't need more than that anyway.


Note: If you want to use this for a custom save/load menu, make sure you install Cherry's CustomSaveLoad patch alongside BetterAEP. Using my default variable choices, you should have this setup:

(this is just my naming scheme, but you get the idea)
3346: AEPSL-SaveSwitch --> ExportVar
3350: AEP-Selector --> Used by the AutoEnterPatch. 0 to launch the load menu, 2 to quit
3351: AEPSL-SaveID --> used to query
3352: AEPSL-SaveExists --> 1 if save exits, 0 if it doesn't
3353: AEPSL-HeroLevel --> not used
3354: AEPSL-HeroHP --> not used
3355: DynRPG-LoadSaveInfo --> ImportVar
4101-4130 (The "global" variables) - Hero ID, Level, HP, MP for all 4 party members (16 vars), saves, location,
gold, playtime hours/mins/seconds (3 vars) was my setup

Instructions
The nature of how this plugin gets used is very complex, so I'd recommend getting comfortable with Cherry's BetterAEP & CustomSaveLoad patch before trying to figure this out.


1. In your save file event call, set all of the vars you're using in your range to their respective values
and then add the following:

<>Variable Oper: [3346:AEPSL-SaveSwitch] Set, Var [FileSelected]'s Value (FileSelected is used as the index id)

<>Wait: 0.1 Sec
<>Variable Oper: [3351:AEPSL-SaveID] Set, Var [FileSelected]'s Value
<>Open Save Menu (in The SaveLoad patch, this saves the file defined in the previous line)



2. In your menu, when you select a file, you should have some kind of a "LoadFile" event call. In this event call,
first set your var range to 0 (to reset all vars before loading them from SaveGlobal.dyn). At this point,
you should also have a variable set to the selected file (I'll call "FileSelected"). Do the following:

<>Variable Oper: [3351:AEPSL-SaveID] Set, Var [FileSelected]'s Value   

<>Variable Oper: [3355:DynRPG-LoadSaveInfo] Set, Var [FileSelected]'s Value
<>Variable Oper: [3352:AEPSL-SaveExists] Set, Var [3351:AEPSL-SaveID]'s Value
<>Branch if Var [3342:AEPSL-SaveExists] is 1

(At this point, all of your vars have been loaded, so you can refer to them and draw them on screen using DynText)

Details

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  • 03/10/2024 04:19 PM

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Pages: 1
I mention this because I was a bit curious how RPG Maker 2000 and 2003 were made, whether they were made with C++ or some other coding language, because in XP, VX, VX Ace, and MV, there are scripts, and Ruby, which I know a bit of in VX Ace and MV. RPG Maker 2000 and 2003 seems like it's almost binary, and C++ is somewhat scary. I just wish certain things were easier to change without going around the engine using other things like Lunar IPS, ResHack, and the alike just to even allow changes to a game.
Whoah. Fantastic. That is a bit more not reasonable but great! Would I have to learn how to make .dll files or use the DynRPG.ini file to do that? I recently downloaded the Lunar IPS patcher. Can I do it that way? Curiosity...
Yeah, this one's a bit complicated and maybe ill-conceived. It's essentially a file to store extra data to describe save files without having to read individual save files (or SaveXX.dyn files themselves). You could write this sort of thing any number of ways.

It's really only useful if you go down the route of writing your own save/load system, or you have a custom title screen and want to do some funky stuff there - like a title screen that changes depending on how far you progressed in the game.

You can technically have any number of save files with the help of DynRPG. In Everlasting Journey, I limited it to 99 (2 digits) instead of the default 15.
Anyone got some spare time to show me hands on how it works? I know it's asking a lot but I'm eager to add this to something I'm making. It seems very complicated. Rararah!!!

And this seems kinda counter productive or a redundant question but isn't there an easier way to increase the amount of saves in RPG Maker 2003? The newer engines like VX, VX Ace, and MV, it's actually really easy, RPG Maker 2000 and 2003 are coded strangely, possibly in binary. Like why japan. Really.
author=Rield
It looks really cool. But even with all of the explanations it's too complicated for me lol.
What ?
I can't speak English very well, but it isn't too complicated for me xP

Edit: Thanks a lot ^^.
It work xD
It looks really cool. But even with all of the explanations it's too complicated for me lol.
Pages: 1