[PLUG-IN] [RM2K3] ANIMATED MONSTERS PLUGIN

Posts

This would be better. I remember the attack frame plugin, it actually cycled massive amounts of images (some for attacks, some for magic). It was a mess, and not only did it massively slow down the battle (refresh rate causing lag), but you had for EACH monster to add 30+ images. And they ALL had to be filled in.

I still have the copy of a version which scanned for the presence of the folder before trying to animate. This made it so I could selectively animate (like for bosses).
I would actually love to see an updated version of this plugin that would be able to differentiate between the use of attack and spell. It's strange seeing monsters using their attack animation for a targeted skill, even if the skill doesn't deal any damage.
Is anyone besides DHM and Cherry still actively working with this patch. I'd be interested in hiring a developer to help me with a project if so.
author=Milennin
I would actually love to see an updated version of this plugin that would be able to differentiate between the use of attack and spell. It's strange seeing monsters using their attack animation for a targeted skill, even if the skill doesn't deal any damage.


I say you post your plugin for the animated monster with attack frame. I've tried contacting DHM but not able to get a reply.
author=Milennin
I would actually love to see an updated version of this plugin that would be able to differentiate between the use of attack and spell. It's strange seeing monsters using their attack animation for a targeted skill, even if the skill doesn't deal any damage.



The file I'm talking about, I think
.

I'd actually like to see an update of this one. It checks files. For the record, Millenim, making it simply skip for a certain amount of time would make it fairly easily to add in an animation. Still, this would add up in terms of skills made...
What if rather than adding a clunky and cumbersome frame-eating piece of junk (I'll be honest, I hate dragonheartman's code after going through it over and over again, and having him tell me "it's easy" while I try to make sense of how to edit to make it do what I wanted), there were some way to say:

@monster_animation_2 (Monster_ID), (Animation_2_ID)

and set the monster skill to an Animation 2. If the monster uses attack, blank out the monster, and play the Animation 2 (it would be the Right Hand (2) and whatever the skill is set to (4, or Skill Use by default)). If the monster is not set to anything, it doesn't replace.



This but for monsters. The monsters would likely have a size limit.

Is this even possible?
Not sure if it would be possible, but I don't think I'd be wanting to use "animations" (the ones you create in the program using sheets) since some of my monsters would exceed the maximum frame size.
I don't even know if it's possible to detect the difference between the use of attack or a skill for monsters. If it is, I think it should be possible to upgrade this plugin. Currently frame 7 and 8 are used for movement, and 9, 10 and 11 for attacking/skills. If you separate those two and add frames 12, 13 and 14 to use for attack or skill (whichever isn't used for 9, 10, 11).
Mmmm, if you/someone else can clean it up, and keep it from looking clunky, then yes maybe. A few notes:

  • Attack should move to target, skill should be stationary.
  • The above file I linked? Probably should take the check file code. Doing so allows you to skip for monsters that don't use magic, don't move and only cast magic, or are different from the norm.
  • The code itself is in need of an overhaul. Cleaning the look of the code, so it works with less memory, and is easier to edit.

Also, where is dragon's copy of the file? It seems like either he took it down, or neglected it to the point where it was removed for inactivity.
I would clean it up if I could. I've looked into coding, but I don't understand it whatsoever.

I could upload the updated version that includes movement + attack frames, but then it's only a matter of time before it gets lost on a random forum page that's going to be hard to find back in the future. It would be better if someone (either Cherry or PepsiOtaku) could add a download to the 1st post of their big topics and link credit to dragonheartman and this thread so it'll be easy for people to find.
If we can get a working combination of check_file and the last, and then make it easier to read, and better explained, future updates would be easier.

...Hmmm. I wonder. It still seems as though this whole process is looking at the events the wrong way. If you can search in Monsters for individual files, it seems like you should be able to search for frames. As in, something like marking Slime%8.png and having it use that to note that there are 8 animation frames. It divides the size by the vertical frames, divides horizontal by 3, and uses that to determine animation box size.

Should be a Ready, Dead, Low HP/Status, Hurt by attack, Advancing, Retreating, Attacking, Magic animations. That's 8 frames. But if there was a way to read for the number of frames, you could have rows of three, sorta like a big animation.

Something like this.



I'd like to try a charset method if we could. Also, I deeply apologize for the hilariously bad firebreath.


...Nah. We'd have to worry about centering then.
author=kaine87
I have these versions of the plugin
http://www.mediafire.com/download/ci0p88y5wcknrga/animated_monsters_check_file.zip
The old and maybe the last.

I never knew the attack frames/returning frames were implemented already.

This would be a perfect plugin if the cast/magic frames didn't crash. :(

Also, pincer/surround attacks dont animate if the monster is flipped, anyone have a solution??
That's mine and cherry's. I can tell because it's named check_file. Do me a favor and submit that to utilities. It's distinct from dragonheartman's file.

See, what happened was animated monsters developed in two different ways.

First, dragonheartman did a version where the monsters did maybe 8 frames (the original number). But I discovered that if I just wanted certain files to be checked, and otherwise to skip animation, it would instead crash. Given that I view anything that crashes the computer without overhauling all monsters a bug, I'm like fix it or teach me how. He wasn't any good at teaching, and he saw it as a bother. I asked Cherry and he wasn't real sure but after a little, he came up with two solutions one using the ini, the other reading the file. The file read seems to work fine so it got named check_file and has been bouncing around ever since.
Dragonheartman, completely ignored the fact that having a huge number of files basically created work, and made more work by creating attack and casting animations. The latest one on his page (assuming its up, there was a utilities crash awhile back and I'm not even sure about my own files) has attack and magic anations. But so what? It's clunky code that I can't even add the check file to because it loops too much and would likely freeze the game. We need a better system for attacks.
I've got a few switch attacks where the moster erases to doba skill animation. But this it clunky too.
Ideally, something like... Cherry's ini code to mark specific monsters, then make it link to an Animation2 id. As in, if you've ninjas and they attack, this is left hand or right depending on facing direction. The beauty of this is that spells work (since spells have an id), special status works(ditto), and you can throw away the folders. The other beauty of this is that you can use battle animations instead, allowing big monsters in the Animation1 page. I just wish I knew how to do this. That said, having the skills/attack part removed and simply doing switches might be enough, but I'd like to see this reinvented
author=bulmabriefs144
That's mine and cherry's. I can tell because it's named check_file. Do me a favor and submit that to utilities. It's distinct from dragonheartman's file.

See, what happened was animated monsters developed in two different ways.

First, dragonheartman did a version where the monsters did maybe 8 frames (the original number). But I discovered that if I just wanted certain files to be checked, and otherwise to skip animation, it would instead crash. Given that I view anything that crashes the computer without overhauling all monsters a bug, I'm like fix it or teach me how. He wasn't any good at teaching, and he saw it as a bother. I asked Cherry and he wasn't real sure but after a little, he came up with two solutions one using the ini, the other reading the file. The file read seems to work fine so it got named check_file and has been bouncing around ever since.
Dragonheartman, completely ignored the fact that having a huge number of files basically created work, and made more work by creating attack and casting animations. The latest one on his page (assuming its up, there was a utilities crash awhile back and I'm not even sure about my own files) has attack and magic anations. But so what? It's clunky code that I can't even add the check file to because it loops too much and would likely freeze the game. We need a better system for attacks.
I've got a few switch attacks where the moster erases to doba skill animation. But this it clunky too.
Ideally, something like... Cherry's ini code to mark specific monsters, then make it link to an Animation2 id. As in, if you've ninjas and they attack, this is left hand or right depending on facing direction. The beauty of this is that spells work (since spells have an id), special status works(ditto), and you can throw away the folders. The other beauty of this is that you can use battle animations instead, allowing big monsters in the Animation1 page. I just wish I knew how to do this. That said, having the skills/attack part removed and simply doing switches might be enough, but I'd like to see this reinvented


Ah, i saw him mention about not wanting to bother wih the plugin because of a user here harassing him? But honestly, you just wanted to help fix/further develop the plug in, which I appreciate.

So there is a copy of the plugin with working casts/magic ? From reading what you say.

How about the pincer/surround formations and the animations?

And what's this about cherry helping, I see u mention somethin about linking things with ini code with cherrys way but there is no plugin/notes provided ?O:

I just reallywanna animate attacks, I don't mind pixel arting as I only want to do it for certain monsters/boss/special.

I've tried looking at the few projects there are with animated monster attacks and the coding just really confuses me, I'm not the best with many code and I'm just really needing a tutorial/project example.


Maybe u can point me in the direction of doing the attacks?
If anyone would have it, it was Dragonheartman. But I don't see it on the utilities page anymore so maybe he said whatever.

I think if you asked help from Pepsi or Kazesui, and were alot nicer about it than me, maybe they'd show you how to do the codes if you wanted to work at it. Given that there is a new DynRPG, which I honestly don't understand how to use, it may have more stuff attached.

I can.

I would start using the check_file version. Since dragonheartman abandoned the project apparently, I'm gonna submit the animated_monsters check_file as the official version. The one I'm using as the plugin, and I'll take a look if your code is actually the same one). I remember there being a bad version of the file, where I tried to include the skills/attacks and it screwed everything up. Hopefully this is not that version, because I'm extremely rusty, and not sure if I can fix that one.

Holdon I'll show you what to do.

Okay, first off, I think old works. I think the new one is complete and utter crap, unless you care to have every single monster animated. If you're like me, that's a hell no. So I'm gonna wipe it from my copy to reduce confusion. Wait, I remember Millenim who makes FADE has animated monsters with moving stuff. But ummm, moving has a glitch where monsters jump off screen (reason 2 I'm removing it). Also the new one, is mostly dragon's code, while the other is my and Cherry's code to get that part to work, so I think taking the other out would make him not have a cow.

Basically, pop it in, and make the sprites for wounded, dead, ready, and hurt as normal. Now, make a blank monster sprite, something that is in battle, but totally immune to damage. Make code run away/kill that sprite when your animated sprite is at 0% of hp. In any other instance, we have switches set up by Action Turns Switch ON in monster behavior of the monster page. For instance, Attack turns MonsterAtk on, and you have a monster party event, MonsterAtk is ON. Remove the animated monster, run a battle skill, wait, and heal that monster and revive it (only to a memorized amount). This means if I have a monster with 1500 hp, and it takes damage (let's say half), it gets revived, and has 751 hp (1 hp to be alive). While it's dead, run the battle animation.

Yeah weird, I don't see it anywhere. Submitting the utility as a placeholder.
dragonheartman
Developer, Starless Umbra / Heroes of Umbra
2966
I replied to an ask about the pincer attacks on my blog. I'm not sure what's up with with it.

If I had time and motivation I'd revisit this but I have neither at the moment. I'm still around though.
Yea, I'm not real sure about that one either. I tried to limit these to boss battles, so pincer stuff was minimum.

You okay with me posting the utility? I can't seem to find your link anymore.
@dragonheartman

Wow coincidence.

I wonder if there's a way to make it so the engine doesnt automatically flip the monster sprites and I can just create a separate folder for the animated monster with flipped images.
As I say. The best way to have it flip for images would be to somehow register monsters by id in the ini to the ids for Animation 2. Animation 2 not only flips the images automatically, but it's built into the system. Not only that, it has support for big animation, using the Battle Animations. And you basically have the thing handle weapons for you if monsters attack, cast spells, and statuses too!

I would do it this way if I could work out how to link the two.

Other than that, short of serious programming (which would possibly have lag issues) this would solve some problems. Oh yea. There's also a Large Animations thing in battle animations. If you want a huge monster moving about, you could probably pull it off.
Now if only someone would bother :S ...
Yeah. I dunno enough, unfortunately.

Oh good. It is documented.

http://rewtone.com/dynrpg/annotated.html

There's an animation 2 pose there. So it's doable, I just wouldn't know the exact code to insert those linked together in the ini. I'm thinking it's a similar process to how condition_icons works, except something like:

Monster(ID#, for instance 2 for the second monster) = (number of Animation2 ID, such as Animation2 #15 being Slime, with the poses for Idle, Right Hand, Skill Use, Dead, Damage, Walking linked in somehow, then having other animations activated by having that status condition)