[RM2K3] MONSTER: DO NOTHING ADJUSTMENT PLUGIN REQUEST

• Turns only get used if monsters use something other than Do Nothing (I can see this screwing things up, with even the slightest margin for error, making it hard to advance turns)
• When using Do Nothing, the entire monster party's turns count as a single turn (meaning whether they have 1 or 8, I lose only 1 hit per round, not 1-8)

author=Millenim
As soon as I change anything in the code

author=]
02/09/2013 11:34 PM
Oh, I just noticed a little flaw in my logic: Although this will work, it will cause a lot of unnecessary harddisk activity because it's checking for the file every time the image is drawn...

There are ways to handle it once for every monster (and saving the info that this monster is not animated), but it's too complicated for now (I don't have time for it right now), so as a quick fix, we'll read it from the configuration...

Basically, all we need to do is changing the isBattlerAnimated function to this:

// Checks if a monster is animated, by checking if there is a 1.png file for it

bool isBattlerAnimated(RPG::Battler *battler) {

if(!battler->isMonster()) return false; // Only monsters are handled, no actors

RPG::Monster *monster = (RPG::Monster *)battler; // Cast the battler to a monster pointer, so that we can access databaseId



// Assemble the key name of the configuration entry, e.g. Monster123Animated

std::stringstream keyName;

keyName << "Monster" << monster->databaseId << "Animated";



// Check if Monster123Animated (for example) is set to 1 in the configuration and return result

return configuration[keyName
.compare("1") == 0;

}




The doesFileExist function can be removed.

This new isBattlerAnimated function just reads from the configuration if the monster is animated or not.

In DynRPG.ini, you need to create a section called "animated_monsters" (or whatever name your DLL file has) and put entries like this:



Monster8Animated=1

Monster14Animated=1

Monster39Animated=1

Monster774Animated=1



Where 8/14/39/77 is the ID in the database. "=1" is always the same (putting anything else, like "0" or just nothing means "not animated").

author=]You are right, it needs to be keyname.str() in this line.

And no, the Animated is not necessary but it makes sense because there might be other per-monster settings in the future.

It's not about Harddisk space but about activity, the other code is opening and closing a file 120 to 960 times a second (depending on how much monsters you are fighting with), which probably causes unnecessary performance problems.

Oh, I just noticed a little flaw in my logic: Although this will work, it will cause a lot of unnecessary harddisk activity because it's checking for the file every time the image is drawn...

There are ways to handle it once for every monster (and saving the info that this monster is not animated), but it's too complicated for now (I don't have time for it right now), so as a quick fix, we'll read it from the configuration...

Basically, all we need to do is changing the isBattlerAnimated function to this:

// Checks if a monster is animated, by checking if there is a 1.png file for it

bool isBattlerAnimated(RPG::Battler *battler) {

if(!battler->isMonster()) return false; // Only monsters are handled, no actors

RPG::Monster *monster = (RPG::Monster *)battler; // Cast the battler to a monster pointer, so that we can access databaseId



// Assemble the key name of the configuration entry, e.g. Monster123Animated

std::stringstream keyName;

keyName << "Monster" << monster->databaseId << "Animated";



// Check if Monster123Animated (for example) is set to 1 in the configuration and return result

return configuration[keyName
.compare("1") == 0;

}




It gave me an error in the second case. I removed the file check function, as noted, and on the

return configuration.compare("1") == 0;

part it gave me the

no match for operator in configuration

. Also, is the "Animated" part at the end necessary, or would

keyName << "Monster" << monster->databaseId;

also work?

I'm gonna try the 11 frame code and see how that works.

author=]My idea is just to check if 1.png exists, and if it doesn't, the monster is not animated.

On this computer I don't have the RPG Maker or DynRPG or Code::Blocks, etc. installed, so I didn't test it yet (so I also didn't post it on the forums), but this should work:

0. Start with the original source code of DHM, not with the modified one with the comparing stuff.

1. At the top, below "#include <sstream>", add this line:

#include <fstream>


This includes the "fstream" (file stream) library, which is needed for "std::ifstream" later.

2. Above the onStartup function, add these functions:

// Checks if a file exists

bool doesFileExist(std::string filename) {

std::ifstream ifile(filename); // Try to open file for reading

return (bool)ifile; // Casted to bool here, so true if ifile != null, i.e. it exists

}



// Checks if a monster is animated, by checking if there is a 1.png file for it

bool isBattlerAnimated(RPG::Battler *battler) {

// Build full path string (e.g. Monster\Slime\1.png)

std::stringstream fileName;

fileName << "Monster\\" << battler->getName() << "\\1.png";

// Check if the file exists and return result

return doesFileExist(fileName.str());

}


The first function checks if a file exists. This is done by opening it for reading (std::ifstream means an input file stream), and if this succeeds, it means that the file exists. The second function checks if a battler is animated, by checking if the corresponding 1.png file exists. I have put this in a function because it's needed two times and I don't want to repeat myself.

3. In both onDrawBattler and onBattlerDrawn, change the line "if(isMonster)" so it looks like this:

if(isMonster && isBattlerAnimated(battler))



This should do the trick.

Best wishes,
Cherry[/quote
Sorry, all of this is scrambled about, thanks to the magic of PMs. But if any of this gives you a better idea on how it's supposed to work, great.