+++ DYNRPG - THE RM2K3 PLUGIN SDK +++

Posts

author=Large
Hello everyone, long time user... even plugin developer, but real life got in the way a few years ago and now I'm returning. A couple of ideas popped up recently and I was wondering if they were possible using DynRPG:

1. Using DynRPG, can I somehow generate events on map during runtime? Let me elaborate.

In my project, I'm using a Caterpillar Party System, so as to show the party members during the regular maps, following the hero. I accomplished this by having some events pre-generated in each map, and through conditionals, determine who's the party member, assigning the corresponding character graphic.

So I was wondering if I could remove this events from the maps, and just have code in C++ to do this, inserting events each time the hero enters a map.
Would it be possible?

2. Pepsi's plugin for overhauling the speed of the ATB with the RM2k3 default battle system.... I was wondering, in the DBS, I think I've noticed some behavior that I wanted to change: when I have a character use a skill, and I have another character with their ATB filled up already, if I select an action for the 2nd Actor, that Actor WAITS for the 1st Actor to finish their animation/action, before executing their action.

I'm assuming that this is sort of a "WAIT" setting during the battle. I was reading about the plugin and it seems it can turn this into "ACTIVE" since the engine does not have an option for this setting.

Am I correct?

Thanks in advance!


1. You know that list of commands for DynRPG? It's not all you can code. There is basically nothing stopping you from coding C++ style, as I discovered when coding a filestream plugin (KazString, among many other processes). The only two real limiting factors are: what you know how to do, and what RpgMaker can handle/display. For example, some battle tweaks can literally create a crash, because the system is particular about sharing. And C++ cout displays to nowhere, because of the way texting handles (you can creating popup windows with buttons, it's mentioned in one of the two starting tutorials; you can do text, but it's largely about storing it in names, or running it through the OnMessage coding)

OnStart I believe is the DynRpg function that creates an event for runtime (it has been awhile, since this is my third or fourth computer and I'm tired of trying to find the correct version of CodeBlocks), but honestly, you would want to check whether a switch was on or not, so you could possibly shut it off if other stuff had to run. Pretty sure you could set up a process to run, there are X and Y events now, and some movement stuff. You would want to set up a Catepillar ON switch, where the catepillar follows if on, and leaves it alone if not.

In theory, this will work. In actual fact, I tried to store coordinates for a line of sight grid, and it seemed to have trouble connecting. This is because: (1) DynRPG is external to Rpgmaker and (2) what I wanted to do was make a number between coordinates "hit" as in, I wanted a line of sight that handled a range of squares based on direction faced and (3) C++ seemed to have trouble reusing this command the way I did it. So it hung. To be honest, this took more experience than I really had.

I would recommend building and tweaking this. It will give you a pretty good sense of how to precisely "hit" coordinates, and from there, it's just a matter of running some of the the commands to follow the hero.

http://www.rewking.com/dynrpg/group__callbacks.html
http://www.rewking.com/dynrpg/annotated.html

The newest modules and callbacks.

2. I have no idea. Not only have I had trouble getting the ATB Overhaul to work (to the point where I instead wrote my own code), but I have had severe issues with getting the battle system to halt for certain events. It appears to run like the following. ATB meter fills, player/monster counter ticks. Status per turn does its thing. When I forced a turn-based system, creatures still took their turn they just used a Wait action. This meant converting ATB system to turn based caused effects like poison to cycle through up to 8 times per second! Long story short, the ATB system is very messy and hard to adapt.
This can get me started, at the very least. Thanks!
I was curious if there was a plugin to call events from menu buttons...?
Like, say you've got the Items, Skills, Status, Quit, etc. buttons, but also a "Journal" button, and when you click it a common event is called.

I haven't seen a whole lot of menu plugins, maybe two, and nothing close to something like this.
You know, I just thought of this due to thinking about the Provoke plugin that I use, but is there a way to do the opposite of it (i.e. instead of making an enemy/enemies attack the target, is there a way to make a plugin that makes it less likely to attack the target that inflicts the status on them (unless it's an AoE, there's nothing that can be done about that I assume)??
hey folks, again i'm in need of enlightenment (did I even spell it right*lol*) :P

first issue:
Dunno if there's already something like this out there, but I might need a plugin to solve a tedious bug within the rpg maker 2k3, itself.

Basically whenever I cast a spell with a character, if for some reason he loses MP before casting (99% of the time due to a MP lowering status) and doesn't have enough mp anymore, the turn never ends and the battle kinda freezes preventing the player for continuing the game.

I could use something that kinda "bypass" this problem by just making the turn end and ignore the spell cast, or heck even just cast the spell anyway, everything is fine as long as the game doesn't stop *lol*

second issue:
I feel kinda lame having to ask, but I'm in need of a plugin that hides the active status information and replaces it with a pre-made (by me) picture of the limit bar (that I can put in a - say - DynResources folder or whatever) and load them according to the value of a variable.
It should be something very basic, for example:
If variable XXXX(Hero X Limit) = -1 (or whatever, lower than zero anyway) -> load no pictures at all (i need this for characters that don't have limit yet or for when a hero is not in the party)
If variable XXXX (Hero X Limit) = anything from 0 to max -> load image_X.png where either X equals the value of the variable or give the option to set it up in the config files
so 4 variables, 1 for each heroes, and maybe the possibilty to config what variable to use, of course the main thing is: the image should be erased along with the window itself otherwise I have the same issue I have when loading the picture with the patch; the window disappears or is covered by skills/items window but the pictures are still there, which is of course ugly at least, that's the whole point of having a plugin

Just to be sure, the Traditional window i mean is this:

not my game, just a screen taken from the internet - pretty good game btw

on a yet-separate note, is there a quickpatch or some sort that allows me to use "message commands" in places where they are not supposed to be used? specifically \c (colored text) in heroes name and "rank" and monsters name? or even color them differently with system colors?

author=GhostRider
on a yet-separate note, is there a quickpatch or some sort that allows me to use "message commands" in places where they are not supposed to be used? specifically \c (colored text) in heroes name and "rank" and monsters name? or even color them differently with system colors?


I would like this patch too (probably a display patch not a plugin). I frequently want items that I can insert \v or \n stuff in. Such \n's Sword or information in the description as a variable changes or grows. Items and Spells could both benefit from this, in addition to battle menus.
I have an issue ! I have a game already patched with DynRPG and the plugins work fine, except one. After investigating a little it looks like I had an outdated version of the DynRPG's patcher.

So I try to patch my RPG_RT.exe with the latest version (http://www.rewking.com/dynrpg/), but when I do that the game just doesn't launch anymore when I click on Play - no error message.

Is there something I'm missing ? How should I correctly apply the DynRPG patch given my project is already patched with an older version of DynRPG ?

Thanks in advance for your answers :)
I think PepsiOtaku made the last patch, and decided to basically add updates externally. Personally, I don't like this model, because it means you basically need version 0.20 or whatever, then scrounge around for external updates to it, then you have to take your chances that it's been tested.

It made some older patches actually no longer work because the implementation became obsolete. The Pathfinder .dll in particular no longer works, and I've had some conflicts where newer plugins need one patch and older ones need another. I'd personally like to see an all-in-one general update that added new features and overall stopped certain battle glitches.
author=LD
I have an issue ! I have a game already patched with DynRPG and the plugins work fine, except one. After investigating a little it looks like I had an outdated version of the DynRPG's patcher.

So I try to patch my RPG_RT.exe with the latest version (http://www.rewking.com/dynrpg/), but when I do that the game just doesn't launch anymore when I click on Play - no error message.

Is there something I'm missing ? How should I correctly apply the DynRPG patch given my project is already patched with an older version of DynRPG ?

Thanks in advance for your answers :)

Make sure you patch from a fresh RPG_RT.exe (from ye olde RPG Advocate's translation - v1.08), not your existing patched RPG_RT.exe. That's probably why it borked the .exe. If you have other patches to add, make a folder in your game folder called DynPatches and place any .ips files you need in there and DynRPG will auto-load them. Just make sure they are for RPG_RT.exe version 1.08 and don't conflict with DynRPG.

author=bulmabriefs144
I think PepsiOtaku made the last patch, and decided to basically add updates externally. Personally, I don't like this model, because it means you basically need version 0.20 or whatever, then scrounge around for external updates to it, then you have to take your chances that it's been tested.

It made some older patches actually no longer work because the implementation became obsolete. The Pathfinder .dll in particular no longer works, and I've had some conflicts where newer plugins need one patch and older ones need another. I'd personally like to see an all-in-one general update that added new features and overall stopped certain battle glitches.

My updates still use Cherry's last patcher (0.20). You're talking about differences between plugins that were made with versions prior to that (like Pathfinder, which was made for 0.13 I believe). Write a new version of the plugin if you need it that badly.
Rave
Even newspapers have those nowadays.
290
I wish Cherry would update it for the "official" release.
author=PepsiOtaku
My updates still use Cherry's last patcher (0.20). You're talking about differences between plugins that were made with versions prior to that (like Pathfinder, which was made for 0.13 I believe). Write a new version of the plugin if you need it that badly.

Pretty sure that's beyond me. I only attended one computer programming class. We managed only the basics, and after that I tried to learn more on my own, only to become frustrated upon realizing that the C++ my teacher had taught me is not implemented the same way as any of the textbooks I picked up since. It took several years to get back into C++ coding, though I did learn how to TI-84 or so program in the mean time. That was it, no formal computer science degree, I majored in history and then horticulture/religion as minors. I know my strengths and weaknesses.

I know, given a sample of tutorial code, I can usually adapt it to my purposes (as I did when writing a few .dlls). Some of these dlls are very good, but I also have no delusions about my skill beyond that. I know I can work with some file operations, after studying. I know that the Visual C++ format of CodeBlocks actually allows you to design variables and such that are external to rpgmaker, which is good news, it means any of you with an actual degree can make stuff that stores extra info outside of rpgmaker and then sends it there by command to make it possible to theoretically bypass what RpgMaker can itself do. I've made a dll that can create txt files which store strings, another that reads pictures (monster animation), and another that looks to see if a save file is there. Pretty sure someone could analyze these things and create new .dlls that do all sorts of things. But not me. I don't even have CodeBlocks anymore.

As to weaknesses, I know that I know very little about how to correctly implement functions without a crash, and I know basically nothing about structs/classes/etc (I'm pretty sure a really good code could be made from this, like maybe a way to define personal traits like defining gender for a character and inserting pronouns). We never got there in class, so although I can see on paper some tutorials, I completely do not get when to use a class, a struct, a union, or how to effectively create inheritance or friends. I know that for the last year, I have been instead of coding, been writing a D&D style rulebook or working on my own games, so yeah not much time to work on that. But I know that even if I were not busy, I have literally looked at the code for the DynRpg header and library stuff and it made little sense to me. Because I don't know how to build a header. Because I don't know how to build a library. Because I don't even really understand how to correctly use pointers. Because I don't understand which #include things allow what code to be included. Because I know how to adapt existing code, but seldom create original code without literally risking reinventing the wheel. And most importantly, while I do know how to make plugins, I don't know how to make a patch!

You do. But it's like you're all waiting for me to do something. I had my third computer go defunct in about 5 years (one of these as a result of the Elder Scrolls Oblivion game literally glitching and frying my video card) and it was hard enough to find all of what I needed to program (CodeBlocks, the right version of MingW, the right version of DynRpg, the right update for DynRpg), not to mention my newest computer cannot use DirectX (I have to window open or it crashes) and cannot test battles ("Temporary file could not be created"). Not adding CodeBlocks again. Since you built the updates, the best person to improve it is still you. So yeah, if you're not working on a demo version of your game, and you obviously have more coding experience than me with real code (rpgmaker code doesn't really count), I don't see why it would be hard to figure out why older code won't work properly anymore.

I'd ask Cherry, but Cherry is not here super-often.

I'm off to work on my games and/or write a novel (Oracle of Tao, since I got the feeling it was a hard game to finish). If you don't do it, it probably won't be done. Don't care either way beyond a "this would really help." While I work on other stuff, it would be nice to see people making more plugins at the very least.

And at the very least, updating the website, so that the updates are at least zipped together and you don't have "click me here" for the download, and scrounging around for the github link. I mean, how hard is it to make a standing Patch & Library set in a .zip file? Even I can do that, and I very definitely would if I could remember which page the github link it is on (def not on the http://www.rewking.com/dynrpg/ page from what I can see). If you want ppl to stop complaining either: permalink it to that page for easy download or zip it all together.

author=bulmabriefs144
And at the very least, updating the website, so that the updates are at least zipped together and you don't have "click me here" for the download, and scrounging around for the github link. I mean, how hard is it to make a standing Patch & Library set in a .zip file? Even I can do that, and I very definitely would if I could remember which page the github link it is on (def not on the http://www.rewking.com/dynrpg/ page from what I can see). If you want ppl to stop complaining either: permalink it to that page for easy download or zip it all together.


Could you do it for me? I don't know how.
Sorry for the late reply, but thanks for your answers!

I restarted my project anyway - it was a good time to do so, and this time I made sure I used the last version of DynRPG and added all the plugins I wanted to from the start.

Just for future reference though, how can I patch from a fresh RPG_RT? The game need some DynRPG plugins to work correctly, so I can't really keep an unpatched RPG_RT. Is there a way to "un-patch" an already patched RPG_RT?

Thanks again, I'm still discovering a bit the world of DynRPG plugins^^".
Just create a new project and replace the old executable with the one from the new project.
author=PepsiOtaku
author=bulmabriefs144
And at the very least, updating the website, so that the updates are at least zipped together and you don't have "click me here" for the download, and scrounging around for the github link. I mean, how hard is it to make a standing Patch & Library set in a .zip file? Even I can do that, and I very definitely would if I could remember which page the github link it is on (def not on the http://www.rewking.com/dynrpg/ page from what I can see). If you want ppl to stop complaining either: permalink it to that page for easy download or zip it all together.
Could you do it for me? I don't know how.


Seriously? Okay, one it looks like you built the website. I have no sense of website building, so I would say just change where the "click me here" goes.

As to the latter, it's actually really easy. I would just need the update link, then I'd zip it and send it back to you. Or you could take the latest copy of the patch and get together all the updated stuff in a folder. Right click, New, and look for zipped files if you have WinRar or something. If you don't, rightclick and instead New, and text (.txt) file. I tried this, it works. Rightclick and rename instead of the name change .txt to .zip, and it will warn you. Ignore it and proceed. If your computer isn't a dumb Mac or Linux, it will change the extension and you will have a new zip file, which operates as a compressable folder. Plop stuff inside that, and congratulations you have it all in one. Upload this somewhere (I recommend Google Drive), and change the link in newking dynrpg website.
Hi, I have two questions.

1) Is it possible for DynRPG to intercept a Message command, and save the contents of that message to a string, and then have that string split up into single-character substrings? And then either a) trigger Show Picture commands based on the content of those single-character substrings, or b) write to specific in-game variables with numerical values based on the results of those single-character substrings and then cancel the actual display of the Message Command and call a Common Event in its place? Preferably "b)", actually. If so, how?

2) Is there any tutorial documentation anywhere regarding getting started with DynRPG? I mean, aside from the "Getting Started" page on Cherry's website, which seems to leave me with more questions than answers. It's all useful information on that page, but it feels like it was never really finished, and I still don't know where to begin as a result. I just watched a really good and lengthy video on C++, and I understood most of it, and I'm confident that I can do this, but there doesn't seem to be anything (that I can find) that answers questions like "why are there multiple files (in something like these plugins)", or "what are all these hashtag lines at the start". Theory is great and all, but I don't know how to go about putting that theory into actual practice. I require fundamentals. I mean, DynRPG has been around for like, what? Five years now? I figure there must *surely* be some quality, in-depth information out there for starting at square one with this stuff by NOW.

Also, I apologize if either of these questions have been answered already, but holy hell, I am not reading through 70 pages. That'll take like, seventy years.
just bumping a little, i'm still stuck with my old request;

plus I seem to remember there was a quickpatch that erased that red flashing that happens normally when walking on the map wile one or more party member are affected by a status... do I remember correctly? Does anyone have it?

Thanks :)
Is there a plugin that allows for games to run in windowed mode by default? Thanks!