Visual Effects Editor Coordinates!

[Rodak]

I'm so proud of this one I posted it on both of the boards I frequent for RPG Maker 2 stuff. So if you saw it at the Pavilion, there is nothing new here.

If this practise is frowned upon just let me know and it will never happen again!

Here it is:

Wow.

I may have done something that will benefit darn near everybody who has struggled with the Visual Effects Editor and it's lack of coordinates!

Did you ever play with the 3-D Text effect? I noticed that, at the default setting, each character takes up 1 block precisely! So I made a string of text that was simply "1234567890" (actually, being a TRUE geek, the string was "1234567890ABCDEF" because I can think in hexadecimal and most of the game is set up this way... most computer stuff in general is set up this way... more on that later).

I then went in to the editor and viewed i. Being careful to not touch the D-Pad I zoomed in on it and raised it so that it was level with the ground instead of halfway down (anyone know why it defaults to "half buried"?).

Then I exited and copied the text (highlight the element, not it's placing, and press X, then select "copy"). I then pasted it three times.

Next I went to the second element (the first one I pasted) and raised it so that it was sitting as close to the top of the pile of text below it without touching it (they all looked like one string because they were pasted right on the identical coordinates).

I repeated this for the other two. I now had a grid of coordinates!

This can be used for many things. I set it on a field where I had a giant (350% sized) witch doing her "Special Motion" (pointing), placed her right in front of it, and suddenly I knew exactly where to put an effect so it would line exactly up on her pointed finger!

I tried and failed repeatedly with trial and error prior to this.

But you say you want 16ths? Fine. The text default size (in the set-up) is 20%. No I do not have an explanation for that... but I can exploit it! Set it to 10% and make a single capital X. This is precisely 8/16ths of a frame so you can place it on top of a "normal" string of numbers and get a reference for partial height units. Half it again (to 5%) and you have a 4/16ths reference unit. Half it again (to 2.5%) and you have a 2/16ths reference unit. And finally, for the most anal-retentive amongst us, Half it again (to 1.25% I knew it had 2 decimal places for a good reason!) and you have a 1/16ths reference unit. Getting back to the hexadecimal reference, if you use "1234567890ABCDEF" just think of "A - F" AS "11 - 16" and you will be well on your way to a Computer Science Degree!

These resized characters can be placed in various combinations to create a reference for any height in any fraction of height units used in the game! Just place them logically! put the biggest ones on bottom and go up in decreasing order. I was able to place things with great accuracy using this technique and I hope it helps somebody out there who may have had the same problems I did until I designed this "Grid" (that's what I called the effect in the database).

When I make new effects I copy and paste this, then move the grid around as needed, and delete the grid elements as I go along, completely deleting them from the finished effect (which I then rename).

The elements also work great for counting distance units away from the center of the effect in any direction. Now you can place a whole camp full of camp fires in the correct places with one effect. That was just the first example I thought of... and since I only did this for the first time last night, expect more developments later!

Peace.

[NASH7777]

This is very helpful indeed, and I may use such a method in making the effects for shadow. I had other semi-similiar ways of testing but this sounds like i may work better. Also something weird in the text editor i discovered. If you know the trick to get the actual symbols for "CIRCLE" and "SQUARE"(make a script to show map and copy the symbols), then paste them in a text for a visual effect. They end up showing up really messed up. Try it out yourself. You know what would be cool though is if there was a way to get the "triangle" and "R1" etc.. special symbols. I'm thinking for anyone who plays socom II online sometimes ppl put things like:
C#!!HENRY, and when it shows there name in text henry may be colored diff or it may have the "triangle" symbol in front of Henry. Now if there was someway to do this in RPMG2 that would be kick@.

[The Final Rune]

You have no idea how much this will help the community as a whole. We have all suffered with the VFX editor trying to get it to work right. Thank you so much for discovering this Rodak!

[Rodak]

You are very welcome.

And I've only been using the VFX Editor for a couple weeks!

I hope to find more useful stuff and maybe even write something about this bit of the game as a guide to new-comers. It is one of the most under-written-about bits of the system.

I should add that if you use the "Turn" feature you can lay the coordinates flat. I found it easier to use that way a couple times.

I'm glad to be able to give something back to these boards which I read a lot (and learned much from) before joining.

Peace.

[BloodKnight]

Rodak said:

It is one of the most under-written-about bits of the system.

Most of RPG Maker 2 is really.

I never had trouble with the VFX editor in this regard, as I just use the guideline the game provides, it's just as helpful in my opinion.

[Deleted]

This is very cool indeed. I shall be trying it out soon enough.

[Rodak]

BloodKnight said:

I just use the guideline the game provides, it's just as helpful in my opinion.

It is great that you can do that! But when I am trying to place effects that are nowhere near the source and a bit off the ground (like trying to place an effect directly on the pointing finger of giant witch) the grid on the ground becomes useless to me.

This gives me a vertical grid that I can test effects in front of, and then see how exactly much to move them.

I guess being dyslexic made me need this. I even went so far as to make each string a diiferent color. Once I even tried setting them spinning, but it was just more amusing than useful. But hey... this is a game and if I amuse myself in any way, it was worth the time!

Peace.

[The Final Rune]

I'm assuming you're talking about adding effects to character model, since enemy models can have VFX placed anywhere on there bodies rather simply. But thanks again for the info, and its nice to know I'm not the only one around with dyslexia!

[Rodak]

Yes, these effects are for Character Models in Cut Scenes.

I did not know that the Visual Effects Editor could be used to place effects directly on body parts of enemies. I thought that was in the Enemy Actions editor. If I am missing something please tell me!

And about dyslexia, use it to your advantage! A lot of misperceptions turn out to be terribly funny and I have kept many things that were intended to be something else just because they made me laugh.

[Deleted]

It is in the Enemy Action Editor. You use the VFX in it.

[The Final Rune]

I wish the enemy models didn't already have weapons attached to them, that really limits your enemy weapon options.

[Rodak]

WilliamKirk said:

It is in the Enemy Action Editor. You use the VFX in it.

Ah yes, that is the source of our misunderstanding.

This effect is NOT for enemies!

It is for a character in a cut scene!

Can enemies be placed in cut scenes? That would be GREAT!!

Peace.