Event:Motion Change Problems?

[islandjack]

Ah yes, time for my question of the day. Hopefully, it will just be question of the week. Anyway, here's my problem.

I have a dungeon in my game which, after getting cleared and the bosses defeated, gets turned into a sort of Club, or Bar, or what have you (if you really want to know, you can check out my thread: "The Misadventures of Hooligan & Rude Boy" under RPGM2 Creative Development). So, in this place, I wanted to have 3 dancers, using a modified Merchant Female for one of the dancers and modified dancers for the other two dancers, one blonde, one brunette. All I want them to do is, well, dance, so I used the script Event Effects: Motion Change = Happy Speed = 75 for the Merchant so she jumps up and down and then created an Event with my character model, start set on Auto and the before listed script applied.

I placed the event, and it works fine. My modified Merchant Female dancer jumps up and down. Here's my problem. I did the same creating my other two dancers, but with their Motion Change set to Special instead of Happy (so they twirl around). When I place these other two Events, nothing happens. They just stand there, or do that walking in place thing. I tried switching the Event Placements around, or placing them one at a time and then checking them out, and they all work, but only individually. Only one dancer will dance (always whichever of the Events I place first) and the other two will just stand there/walk in place.

So, any ideas on what I might be doing wrong, or how I can get all three of my dancers to dance? Or is it just that only one Motion Change Event will work at a time?

Any help would be appreciated and as always, thanks in advance.

[manji]

someone else here will know how to explain this better than me, but basically what you need is some 'call script' and 'apply together' commands.

you make an individual script for each of your dancers and what you want them to do. then, in the content script for the auto event you have placed, you call all the scripts for each of the dancers and 'apply together'. that way, they move at the same time.

i'm pretty sure that's how it works.. but.. maybe. i don't know.

[Bigfoot]

Put all there script commands into seperate scripts for each dancer, then do the "Apply together command", then the "Call script" command and call the script that you made. It should look similar to this.

Apply together
Script Call: Dancer 1
Script Call: Dancer 2
Script Call: Dancer 3
Apply in order

Make sure you do the apply in order afterwards.

Have only one of them an auto event, or it won't work. Each script you make should look similar to this.

Event control change: Dancer 1
Event: Motion Change: Happy = 75

Then a script for each event.

I hope I explained it good enough so you can understand it.

[islandjack]

Hey, thanks! I just got back from getting some beer and two replies!

Well, I'm trying it out now, but I have another question. I understand that only one of the Events should be set on Auto, but what do I set the other two events to? Meaning, I set the Dancer 1 Event to Auto, but what about Dancer 2 and Dancer 3? Should they be set to Touch, Equal, Talk or Examine?

Just to make sure I'm following you both, I made a new script and put the Apply Together/Apply In Order commands in there along with a Call Script for each dancer's movement. Then, I Applied this new "Dancers" script to the dancer event I placed in the middle and set it to Auto. What script should I apply to the dancers on either side (dancers 2 & 3) and what should I set the Start to for them?

I really hope I'm not making this more complicated than it is, and again, thank you!

[Bigfoot]

I usually just leave it on touch, it doesn't really matter, as for your other question.

You put no scripts in the other events.

After the command Event: Control: Change "desired event"

Any command after that the selected event will do.

Simple as that.

[islandjack]

You're the man, Bigfoot.

But you lost me with

" After the command Event: Control: Change "desired event"

Any command after that the selected event will do. "

So, apply no scripts in the Dancer 2 & Dancer 3 Events; apply the "Dancers" script (the one with all of the call script commands in it) to Dancer 1 and set the start to Auto. I think I got that part, but like I said, I have no idea what you mean by the above.

I should also add I really have no idea what I'm doing.

[Bigfoot]

Here is an example of what I mean, This is my event, I shall name him bob.

Bob
Character Graphic
Auto
Apply Script: Bob

And event steve.

Steve
Event Graphic ;D
Touch
Apply Script: none

Here are the script commands for script "Bob."

Event: Motion Change: Special.
Event Movement: 2 spaces East
Event Control Change: Steve
Event Motion Change Happy

Script example over.

After this command

Event Control Change: Steve

Since I did that, the commands after that (including motion happy) event: Steve will do. Until you do the Event Control Change command and choose a different event.

Hope this wasn't too complicated for ya.

[Rodak]

I'm at work and missed this one (I was busy plugging my own VFX Guide Sample Page) (hint, hint).

But... couldn't motion change, etc be used as action scripts and set in the motion slot of the event?

I must be missing something.

But I said that anyhow.

It may help.

I'll check when I get home and apologize if I'm wrong.

Peace.

[islandjack]

Thanks so much for bearing with me, Bigfoot. I'm pretty sure I got the gist of "Bob and Steve," I tried it out and it worked! I got exactly what I wanted, thank you!

Like I said, I'm pretty slow when it comes to this stuff, and things usually have to be explained to me as if I were a complete moron (and in the case of RPGM2, I shall be a complete moron for a long time).

The fanboys and I owe you one, Bigfoot. I toast you.

And Rodak, hope your day at work isn't going to badly, thanks for checking in. If you do have anything more to add once you get home and "check things out," let me know. I know absolutely nothing about "action scripts" or placing anything in the "motion slot." I'll take all the knowledge I can (and I have a feeling I'll take a few hits for actually typing that last sentence. At least the "placing anything in the motion slot" part).

[Rodak]

I thought the motion slot was a suggestive way to phrase it myself.

Check the Common Script Database for a doors tutorial (by Me!) that will make action scripts clear.

Work Sucks.

My boss is an idiot.

I resent having to teach him Chemistry.

You asked... sort of.

Peace

[Doan the Nado]

If you want events to execute some action constantly the whole time you are on a map, using the motion slot is the way to go. For example, for your two dancers, you will be able to recycle the same script and save some memory.

First, create a script called "Action: Special, Speed=100F" or something to that effect (this will let you know exactly what this script does and make reusing it more easy, anytime you want an event to do its special animation). Inside the script, just under the script name, you will see a box that says "Content". Press X on this box and change the option to be "Action".

Now for the actual script. In the script field, select Event > Effects > Motion Change, and then select the Special option and set the speed to 100 (or to any speed you want, but also change your script's name).

Okay, so now your script is done, but you have to apply it to an event. Any event which you would like to perform this special action needs to have it placed in its motion slot. So go to the appropriate Event in the editor, and above the Touch/Talk/etc field, there should be one called "Motion", which currently has "None" in it. Choose this field and select the Special script that you just made.

Now when you place this event, it will automatically perform the indicated action with no interruption of gameplay. No need to use Event Control Changes, or Apply Togethers, or anything else. This is exactly what the motion script is intended for and should be used anytime you have such a situation where you want an event to have some kind of behavior the whole time you're on the map.

Another thing this allows you to do is still be able to talk to the dancing models. Note that the script was placed in the Motion slot, leaving the Activation and Apply fields open. You can still choose something like "Talk" and Apply a script like:

Message Window: "Want to dance with me?"

or something to that effect. Now, your events can dance and talk at the same time. If you didn't know this before, then you should see your flexibility greatly increased with this knowledge.

[Bigfoot]

islandjack said:

Thanks so much for bearing with me, Bigfoot. I'm pretty sure I got the gist of "Bob and Steve," I tried it out and it worked! I got exactly what I wanted, thank you!

Like I said, I'm pretty slow when it comes to this stuff, and things usually have to be explained to me as if I were a complete moron (and in the case of RPGM2, I shall be a complete moron for a long time).

The fanboys and I owe you one, Bigfoot. I toast you.

Very happy to help, cinematic scripting can get very tricky, I know because I learned everything cinematically on my own. So once again, glad to help.

[islandjack]

Hey, thanks, Doan. I was actually planning on spending most of today working on the "Club," now that I've got the dancers working (thanks to Bigfoot!) and am no longer completely frustrated with trying to get things to work. In other parts of my game, I have some other events much like the dancers that I have to get back to and make work, though I have been sort of dreading it, however, with the new knowledge I've gained from you, it's going to be a lot easier and more enjoyable.

I actually wanted to be able to have several events a combo of a "special" movement, and a conversation, or whatever. I was sure that this was something that could be done, but had no idea how to go about doing it, and had, until now, considered it a daunting task. You've breathed new life into my game, Doan, like I said, thanks a lot. (Obviously, I didn't know any of this stuff, so I really appreciate your taking the time to go above and beyond answering my question). Cheers.

(As for the dancers, well, they're actually cage dancers, shades of a really bad club in Syracuse that I used to frequent with my college friends about a decade ago. They seemed pretty content to be dancing in their cages without being subjected to people hitting on them, but I always wondered what would happen if someone did. Good twist to throw in my game, now that I know the dancers can dance and talk. Who'd think that an important piece of information could only be received from the girls you're really discouraged from talking to? -insert thich sarcastic overtone- Give more for my Club Bouncers to do, also.)

Thanks again to everyone.

[Doan the Nado]

I'm glad my advice helped you out... it's what makes giving advice worthwhile.