ADVANCED NPC'S

Note: I'm doing this off the top of my head, so I can't say if it works or not.

In the RMXP script editor, go into Scene_Name (its near the bottom), in def main, there should be the following snippit of code. Add the bolded stuff (comments extra):



def main
# Get actor
@actor = $game_actors
# Make windows
@edit_window = Window_NameEdit.new(@actor, $game_temp.name_max_char)
@input_window = Window_NameInput.new
# Execute transition
Graphics.transition
# Main loop

# Set the number of frames to wait before closing the window
# RMXP runs at ~40FPS, so 40 frames = 1 second
@FrameCountdown = 400 # Wait 400 frames, or 10 seconds
# For a variable amount of time, use $game_temp.name_actor_id as input
@FrameCountdown = .max
# Wait for as many seconds as the ID of the actor supplied, to as low as 10 seconds
# Only use one of the @FrameCountdowns

# to a function.
loop do
# Update game screen
Graphics.update
# Update input information
Input.update
# Frame update
update

# If the frame countdown has ran out
if(@FrameCountdown == 0)
$scene = Scene_Map.new # Exit the name input screen and go back to the map
# Otherwise, decrement the countdown by one
else
@FrameCountdown -= 1
end

# Abort loop if screen is changed
if $scene != self
break
end
end
# Prepare for transition
Graphics.freeze
# Dispose of windows
@edit_window.dispose
@input_window.dispose
end


Remember, I haven't tested this. Make a copy of the original code in case it doesn't work (although removing the changes should be simple enough)

Here's everything you need, with a bit more: (Original code is non-bold, new stuff is bolded)

This stuff goes between class Scene_Name and def initialize, change these to fiddle with the settings of the timer and ActorIDs and opacity



PCS = 10 + 1
# Change the first number to the number of PCs your game uses, if it uses the RMXP database for characters
# This is for being able to edit PC names with infinite time
# The +1 is for a dummy actor used for player input with no timeout.
# So lets say your game has 5 PCs aka Actors. Actors 1-5 are your PCs which have infinite name-edit time...
# Actor 6 is for input that has infinite time, and Actor 7+ are actors with timeout

SECONDS_PER_ID = 1
# This adjusts the time to wait before closing the window automatically.
# Its the seconds to wait per ID > PCS, so in the above example of 5 PCs,
# Actor7 will wait SECONDS_PER_ID, Actor8 will wait 2*SECONDS_PER_ID, ect.

WINDOW_OPACITY = 0
# Set this to the opacity of the window background. 0 is transparent, 255 is opaque



This stuff is the def main snippet from before:

def main
# Get actor
@actor = $game_actors
# Make windows
@edit_window = Window_NameEdit.new(@actor, $game_temp.name_max_char)
@input_window = Window_NameInput.new


# Set the opacity of the name input windows
@edit_window.back_opacity = OPACITY
@input_window.back_opacity = OPACITY


# Execute transition
Graphics.transition
# Main loop

# Set the number of frames to wait before closing the window
@FrameCountdown = $game_temp.name_actor_id - PCS * Graphics.frame_rate * SECONDS_PER_ID


# to a function.
loop do
# Update game screen
Graphics.update
# Update input information
Input.update
# Frame update
update

# If the frame countdown has ran out and the ActorID is a timeout ActorID (>PCS)
if @FrameCountdown == 0 and $game_temp.name_actor_id > PCS
$scene = Scene_Map.new # Exit the name input screen and go back to the map
# Otherwise, decrement the countdown by one
else
@FrameCountdown -= 1
end

# Abort loop if screen is changed
if $scene != self
break
end
end
# Prepare for transition
Graphics.freeze
# Dispose of windows
@edit_window.dispose
@input_window.dispose
end


I'm not at home so I can't test it though, I'll throw up some tested code later tonight.


For stretching, there should be a way to deal with that. Do you want all windows to tile the windowskin, or just the NameInput windows?

Alright, I figured out what it was; its the way RMXP handles "scenes" (I've always ignored it for my systems)

Here's the quick and dirty way:
In the Scene_Map script, on line 205 there should be:


$scene = Scene_Name.new


Change that to:


scene = Scene_Name.new
scene.main()



This needs some changes to the Scene_Name script too. The loop needs a new break condition (it breaks when the scene changes from Scene_Name, but scene is never set to Scene_Name), so I use a simple boolean that the loop executes when true, and when false it breaks. So the boolean is set to false when the time limit expires, or when a name is inputted. Here's the code for it (changes from above code in bold):


def main
@RunFlag = true
# Get actor
@actor = $game_actors

# Prepare for the transition
Graphics.freeze

# Make windows
@edit_window = Window_NameEdit.new(@actor, $game_temp.name_max_char)
@input_window = Window_NameInput.new

# Set the opacity of the name input windows
@edit_window.back_opacity = WINDOW_OPACITY
@input_window.back_opacity = WINDOW_OPACITY

# Execute transition
Graphics.transition
# Main loop

# Set the number of frames to wait before closing the window
@FrameCountdown = ($game_temp.name_actor_id - PCS) * Graphics.frame_rate * SECONDS_PER_ID

# to a function.
loop do
# Update game screen
Graphics.update
# Update input information
Input.update
# Frame update
update

# If the frame countdown has ran out and the ActorID is a timeout ActorID (>PCS)
if @FrameCountdown == 0 and $game_temp.name_actor_id > PCS
@RunFlag = false
# Otherwise, decrement the countdown by one
else
@FrameCountdown -= 1
end

# Abort loop if screen is changed
if @RunFlag == false
break
end
end
# Prepare for transition
Graphics.freeze
# Dispose of windows
@edit_window.dispose
@input_window.dispose

# Do the transition
Graphics.transition
end



There's a small change in the update function too. Look for the following snippet of code in def update, it should be near the middle:

# Change actor name
@actor.name = @edit_window.name
# Play decision SE
$game_system.se_play($data_system.decision_se)
# Switch to map screen
$scene = Scene_Map.new


Replace $scene = Scene_Map.new to @RunFlag = false

That should do the trick.


*edit*
Oh, wait, hold on. Something doesn't work. Gimme a sec

*reedit*
Oops, I forgot to accomodate the graphics transitions since I wasn't changing "scenes". The code should work now with the extra Graphics.freeze/transition calls in the def main for Scene_Name.

I also botched some of my math, I needed brackets when it calculates how many frames to wait otherwise it would always wait indefinetly for every character.

*thirdedit: See? Testing is important!*

Do you want it so that when you timeout, whatever the character's name is when you run out of time is set to the player's response?

author=donline link=topic=643.msg8950#msg8950 date=1202842869
Hmmm Im waiting for the Last Update to be Accepted... have you
tried out my Demo yet? :P

Unfortunately not. I don't have much free time with the current University semester (which involves a mess of group projects) but I do have it downloaded and stashed away with a bunch of other RPG Maker games that I intend to play.

author=donline link=topic=643.msg8950#msg8950 date=1202842869
Added a heck load to the Character Creation part.....
my god the 1st attempt got too out of control so
I had to limit it...

What I did
I made 10 sets of eyes, 10 Noses, 10 mouths, 10 Hairstyles, after doing all that
I realized thats about 60+ combination's... I decided to limit a few parts so I didn't have to make the biggest conditional branch known to man.....

If you could freely choose between each different graphic, you'd have a thousand different combinations, not 60. I'm sure there's a way to have the combinations and have it not literally take forever to implement, but I can't think of it now (and I'd have to play your game to see how it looks anyways)

author=donline link=topic=643.msg8950#msg8950 date=1202842869
anyhoot thanks again for this ;D If you ever need anything Graphic related
for your Game plz dont hesitate.... hmmm have you made one?

Working on a game. Currently its programming work (making a menu mostly from scratch, and that also means having a fair bit of the backend done too like player characters which I'm also making from scratch too) and revising the plot+characters.

If I ever need any graphics (which I'm sure I will), I'll keep your offer in mind. :)
(I just need to learn to stop sucking at sketching my characters...)

author=donline link=topic=643.msg8950#msg8950 date=1202842869
!Edit!
Do you want it so that when you timeout, whatever the character's name is when you run out of time is set to the player's response?

Answer!
Ummmm I think Ill use the timeouts on important parts like.... were all gonna die if you dont type this in "seconds" so I could use the "Else" part in the conditional branch

Alright, I'm fine with that. Means less work for me :P

author=donline link=topic=643.msg8950#msg8950 date=1202842869
!Edit!
Aghh I think you will know the answer to this but what does it mean
when the game freezes inbetween tranfering to a map it says "Script Hanging"

I managed to get round this by jumping to that map at start of Game
so when you reach that area later on in game it loads correctly.....

This, on the other hand, does.

I'll test it out sometime this week (possibly tonight, since I never get any homework done Tuesday nights) and see where I screwed up. I think its in the Scene_Map code (since I pretty much did a cheap hack of the $scene code). I'll get back to you on that though.


*edit*

Alright, I gave it a few tries (opening the name input window and then teleporting to another map) but I never get a failure or anything. Doublecheck that you inputted the script correctly, and see if maybe its another script thats screwing it up (or if its just the map you're teleporting to)

I made a mistake, I don't have a copy of your game. I ran off to my downloaded games folder and I didn't find anything under Illumina. I do remember you posting something about a demo in your thread so that might've been where I got the idea, but I couldn't find it in your thread and you don't have a submission for it on the site.



*somethingIfoundwhenmakingthepost*

I see the game you're talking about: Sacred Shadow (Well, I'm assuming so again, but that one has a character creator, updated to 1.3 yesterday, and has a locked file in it). My bad, I'll take a look to see if I can find any immediate problems sometime soon.

Well, this is strange. I downloaded your game but I can't run it (missing Graphics/Title/1 ), and when I go into it with RMXP none of my script changes persist. Hell, I can't even playtest through RMXP, trying to do so really does nothing (also, saving. Quit+Saving also does nothing)

I've never had this kind of problem with RMXP before, it's weird. I'll give it another shot later (probably Saturday) and try to figure out what the hell is wrong with RMXP.

I downloaded everything (original demo and all three updates), erased what I had before, and redid everything in the right order and now RMXP isn't being a pain anymore. I'm not sure what was going on there with how I couldn't make any script changes or run the game through RMXP, but I'm just going to blame Windows.


Anyways, to deal with the mising files, I just took all of the Graphics/Title/0d/1d/2d files and removed the 'd' and that got those working. There's also a missing BGM (s29) which I just copied and renamed another track for.

That gets me to the title screen, but from there I have another missing graphic ( Graphics/Characters/right3 ). I would suggest putting everything back together, doing a quick test run to make sure there's no missing files, and uploading a new version.


Also, locking the Game.rxproj won't lock your game from the database, that file is 10 bytes big and its the same for all RMXP project files. To prevent the game from opening in the RMXP editor, use the File->Compress Game Data in RMXP to lock your game that way.

Just don't send that to me because I won't be able to work with it :P