Player customization!

[tuah]

When I play RPGs, I usually hate how my character looks. So this got me thinking; I should let the player customize themselves in the game as they're starting! Basically, I want to allow them to choose what model of character they want to use, then let them edit colors.

Anyone know a good way I could go about this?

[rpglover88]

Hmmm... There is a way... but it will take a while to make. Well what you basically need to do is make a Multiple choice script.With the Model ANd everything like say you put "Who do you want to be?"
__________________
_ Hero.... _
_ _
_ _
_ _
__________________
Then after you make a choice you have to make another MC inside that for hair and whatever you want to change. Then after what you wanna change make another MC with color. Then to change the color use Members Effects> Color change then change the color of the choice. Then repeat. Untill you finally get to the end. Oh by the way if you didn't know this already to change the Model color and model you have to select the model that you choose for the color change to work. To change the model do :
Members>effects>Model. choose the member then choose the model that matches the choice.

[tuah]

Yet again your help has enlightened me!

I figured it might be something about a multiple choice script. It seems this one will be quite tough though... I think I know a good way that would fit in quite nicely with what I'm working on!

Already, ideas are flowing through my head! ;D

[rpglover88]

Not necessarily alot of work just alot of copying and pasting(I use alot lightly), always glad to help:)

[tuah]

I hope that one day I will be able to bring you all a nice game. My basic idea for this one is a bit of a customized background history, and full character customization. People say, "Looks aren't everything", but I say, "They might as well be, because I've got just about everything."

[Rodak]

This is not a popular method, but you could simply not lock the game with a password and tell the player in the opening to just go in and set their character model to whatever they want.

Otherwise you are limited to a selection of preset choices.

There is no way to call up the recoloring stuff during gameplay.

It's what I'd do...

Peace.

[christi]

i've seen a lot of games (not so much rpgs, but... sims 2, true crime: new york, to name a couple) that reward good game play with new customization options (clothes, hairstyles, etc.)

that might be something to think about... it would give the player yet another incentive to play through the game, instead of having all of the customization options unlocked from the start.

[Doan the Nado]

I'm pretty sure that you can call up the recoloring stuff during gameplay. Isn't it under the Members > Effects commands? Besides, I'm pretty sure you could change models, and it could be done very easily using status effects. By default, when a player dies, his status gets changed to that of a coffin. You could place a "status" on the player which tells the system which model the player has picked, and the game would take care of changing the models for you.

[manji]

or you could get really creative and make it so that whatever the player chooses, the game will reflect the certain differences in the character that's chosen..

but that would be an intense amount of work..

[Rodak]

admin said:

I'm pretty sure that you can call up the recoloring stuff during gameplay. Isn't it under the Members > Effects commands?

You can get to it in scripting, but can not display it for the player during play.

Thus, you can only offer from a set of pre made models that you create.

You can create many, but can't allow the player access to the full blown thingy.

Peace.

[christi]

manji said:

or you could get really creative and make it so that whatever the player chooses, the game will reflect the certain differences in the character that's chosen..

but that would be an intense amount of work..

...although it would allow for a certain degree of replayability.

it wouldn't be too difficult, i don't think, if the changes in storyline were very subtle. say, for example, if you only let the player choose from three base characters. you could use a variable to track which character the player is using, and then make small changes to dialogue/cutscenes based on that.

i started playing a game for the ps2 a few years back; i don't remember what it was called at the moment, but it was about this girl that got kidnapped, and you had to go save her. you could pick one of three guys to play as, and the storyline was altered depending on who you were playing as. i don't even remember why i didn't finish it; maybe it wasn't mine, or something.

it's an interesting concept, though. actually, any of the ideas we've suggested could really all be intermixed together to come up with something pretty unique.

[Doan the Nado]

Ahh yeah, that's right, Rodak. I guess we were both on the same page and didn't know it. Yes, the more flexibility you wanted to give the player, the more work you would have, yourself, in implementing it.

[Kumo Shinagi]

You could do it using a lot of variable tracking and Flag usage.

It's hard to set up, but not impossible.

Also, VFX usage for additional clothing and accessories.

[Dungeon Warden]

You could place a "status" on the player which tells the system which model the player has picked, and the game would take care of changing the models for you.

This would only work if the only status effects in the game were the different models, otherwise as soon as the character was poisoned they would change to the poison model. It won't be hard to work around this, it's just something you have to fix if you are using the preset status effects.

Also, any visual effect (color, size, or model) you place on a character disappears when the character moves to a new map. However, I found out that if you remove a character from the party the effects are not lost. All you need to do is remove the custom character when they leave the map (Exit map script) and add them in again on the next map (Enter map script). Note that if there is only one character in the party you can't remove them and will have to replace them instead (create a special character to replace them with). Also you will need to remove the character every time the player saves and restore them every time the player starts again.

This will save you having to remember what choices the player made (using variables) at the beginning of the game and restoring the settings on every map and load game, which is the only other option.

[tuah]

Thanks, everyone, for your help! I know now the best way I should go about physical customization! ;D

If this game turns out to be good, I'll make sure you all are the first to know it!

[Doan the Nado]

Can't you make certain status effect displays take precedence over others? Like, if you're dead, that model is number 999 or something and always shows up instead of any other status effect that might be present. Couldn't you just as well make all the model changes be a number higher than the status effects so that even when poisoned, you still display the proper model?

[Dungeon Warden]

Yes, but then you wouldn't have the visual clue that you were poisoned anymore. Like I said, you can get around it, but it removes the option of using visual clues that your character isn't well.