[2K3] MULTIPLE PARTY SWITCH SYSTEM

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Ok, this has been asked a million times by people everywhere, and I need to ask this now too. I have the system in my game, but it doesn't exactly work properly, and I'll need to redo it anyways...

Anywho, the thing I need help with is setting up a multiple party switch system (i.e. FFVI's Kefka's Tower, where you control 3 parties, and with the press of the Square button or whatever button, you switch to the next party). I would like to implement this into the upcoming dungeon I'm designing right now, but I don't know how easy/hard it really is to make it work between multiple maps (I'm trying to avoid having too much stuff on one map for the most part, plus I CAN'T have everything on one map).

If anyone can help me out with the coding (I haven't even started it as I don't know where to begin), that would be fantastic. ;__;
Heya,

So the basic thing is that you need to store both parties' position in separated variables (so the first won't overwrite the other), and then just recall them with changed party composition.

To do so, first you need to store the variables of your current party (with memorize position option on 2nd page, which also saves mapID), and make a completely new one to the 2nd party manually (so you will have to set the variables value on your own, including map ID).

Then you need to create a common event (probably you want to make it triggered by a switch), where you call for a Key Input Process (on 2nd page). Make it to your wanted key (CTRL for example is a good choice).

So basically the thing you want to do in the process, is to fade out the screen,
store the position, make a conditional branch with else option available, like "2nd party off" (or something like that) then change party members (one at a time, cause if you have more than 4 heroes in your party, others won't get added), then recall the 2nd party's location, and show the screen, and make a switch "2nd party on".

And then all you need to do is to repeat the above things, but in reverse.

so your script should look like somehow this:

loop
> wait 1s
> key processs 001:"party switch" - ctrl (7)
> if 001:party switch = 7
>> if 002:2nd party on = OFF
>>> hide screen
>>> memorize location1
>>> change party members - take out current party, and add the new ones in
>>> recall location2
>>> show screen
>>> set 002:2nd party ON
>> ELSE
>>> hide screen
>>> memorize location2
>>> change party members - take out current party, add the new ones
>>> recall location1
>>> show screen
>>> set 002:2nd party OFF
>> end if
> end if
end loop

Hope it helped, and it was understandable.
If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask.










Hm...I never think to use the Hide/Show Screen functions (I always used tint screen and made it go to black from there while halting all processes). So all of this would go into the common event then I take it? And I would assume if I had another Else statement in the second Else statement for a 3rd party, it'd work fine?? That's the tricky part I think (for this upcoming dungeon, this script should work as there's only 2 parties you have to control at a time, though later dungeons will demand 3 parties so need to figure that bit out as well).


Will give this a test run once I put it in and see how well it works. Probably need to make a few test maps or something, or test it in the debug room, to see if it works properly too. @_@;


EDIT - Would this be sufficient enough?


It wont work that way.

You need to store the 2 (or 3,4,5.. the number of parties you have) party's location to separated variables. So now you use 48 59 60. Then you need to take the 2nd party's location to like 61 62 63. Otherwise, you'll end up being the same position as your first party was, because you will just overwrite the values of the location variables.

Also, in the "else" section, you dont remove the current party members, which will end up you having the same party.


author=Xenomic
Hm...I never think to use the Hide/Show Screen functions (I always used tint screen and made it go to black from there while halting all processes). So all of this would go into the common event then I take it? And I would assume if I had another Else statement in the second Else statement for a 3rd party, it'd work fine?? That's the tricky part I think (for this upcoming dungeon, this script should work as there's only 2 parties you have to control at a time, though later dungeons will demand 3 parties so need to figure that bit out as well).


If you want 3, or more parties, all you have to do is to change the trigger of the event (you may need to take out else as well).

So like:

if party 1 = ON
-- events --
end if
If party 2 = ON
-- events --
end if
If party 3 = ON
-- events --
end if
.. and so on.
Just make sure whenver you switch parties turn off the specific party's switch, so you need to make sure that only one of these switch are turned on.

Also I might fail at explaining it, because its already 4 am here, hope you understand it :)

The way those variables are set up for the Memorize Locations is how I put the required stuff (variable 47 is the Map ID, variables 57/58 are the X/Y coordinates for party 1, and likewise for party 2 with the other half).


Huh?? But I didn't remove anyone in the Else section. Unless you mean I'm supposed to do so (which I think I am but I never got around to doing it)??


Ah, I guess that should've been simple enough to figure out lol.


I'll have the two party and three party systems as two separate common events, that way I can use them both when needed.
True, I just misread it. probably cause I'm sleepy. And yes, you are supposed to change the party, unless you want to have the same party when you change back.
Righto, so then having the switches as I have them (and then of course removing everyone in the party for each section at the start), is the way to go then? If so, then I'll do it the way I have it with those addendums, and then test it out probably tomorrow to see how they turn out. I do appreciate your help in this. ^^
It should work in my opinion, but obviously you need to test it. If you got any other questions, then just post here, I'm sure others are happy to help as well :) And my idea may not be the only way.

Ed: Oh and you're welcome, anytime :)
I haven't gotten around to testing this yet, but I do need to ask this too. In FFVI, whenever you switched parties and you switched them at specific locations, you could see your other party's leader on the map. I would like to do that for this game if possible, but I need to make sure that the sprite appears where the last party originally was (overworld sprite doesn't matter as it'll be who's technically the "leader" at that time). Any good ideas on how to do this?
I've got a pretty good one in Oracle of Tao. It works with a simple parallax map so you can have as many characters as fit on the screen. I even managed to do a double party system.



As long as people credit me (actually, that's not necessary either), sure go ahead and use my game as a tutorial.
Huh. Reminds me a bit of the CMS I was trying forever ago (to mimic FFVII's PHS system). Though this little menu might come in handy later on down the road when you're able to actually choose your parties (for the first few instances of this, you can't).
Alright, here's a question. Using this system, I haven't tested it yet still. However, there is one thing that concerns me. It will memorize the location of your party, that's fine and dandy. However, it's for the current party. How is it recalling the location of the second or third party at all, if they're not set to begin with? Is there something else I need to do to make sure that it recalls to the proper places for the second/third parties?


EDIT - I tested it in my debug room by making all 3 locations the same (using different variables accordingly for the 3 parties). However, this still doesn't help with determining the proper places they should be at in actual dungeons, and with this method I tried, whenever I switched parties despite having the variables in the proper places, it teleported me at strange spots not where it says in the location variables (for instance, I wind up at the top of the map or stuck inside walls).
Yes, you need to set a location to begin with, otherwise you'll end up at 0/0 on 0 map ID (if that even exists).

In my opinion it's supposed to work, haven't tested it though. I got a dayoff tomorrow, I'll test it then.

As for the sprite on the map - yes, it is possible, all you need to do is to use the "move event" command, and move a Hero looking event into that spot where he was last seen.
Oh right. I remember doing that, though making sure it stays there when you switch screens might be tricky.

It works for the MOST part. After switching once to each party and then switching back to the first party, it'll work perfectly fine switching from any of the three parties.
I've not tested this code for more than two parties though (largely the headache of trying to juggle locations), but if you get the gist, the menu is designed pretty user friendly, and should even be able to have people set on location pressure plates.

Good luck!
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