Question

[evmaster]

Can you please help with this?

http://www.gamingw.net/tutorials/161

He starts off his guide confusing me. I think he's saying make a new event npc and make a new message I don't know. I don't know if this works for rpgmkr03 or not. And then it sounds like I'm suppose to make a new conditional Branch or something due to reading condition. I do know how variable's work, I just need some clarification please.  

[Moosetroop11]

It's quite straightforward. I'm not sure I'll be able to explain it any better than he has.

Which specific bit do you not understand? Paste it here.

[evmaster]

To put in which order or something. Like, should I make a variable and then make a condional branch to make it work? It starts out with change variable, how do I do that? Thanks for all your help you've done for me moose.

[evmaster]

Hello?

[crunkman2000]

Character interaction is very important in a game. It sets the mood and represents the world that your hero is in. If the guard keeps on saying "hi" and you want to get past him, it's very frustrating not having an explanation for the barrier. Or, if a man is mad at you, and you try to annoy the snot out of him, if all he does is say "leave me along you little rascal" again and again, it will lead to some disappointment on the player's behalf.

Problems:

-NPCs do not have a life of their own, and their sole purpose is for you to hear their one line that they will repeat for the duration of the game.

-No reaction, either good or bad, if talked to again and again and again.

-Game is boring because NPCs don't do anything, they are the equivalent of a signpost.


Solutions:

-------------------

1-Have even the most minor character have at LEAST 3 or 4 different things to say!

-------------------


A little snippet of code for those newbies who don't know how to achieve this...put this in the event code for an NPC:

-------------------

<>Change Var: Var[0004:rand] (Set)-Random(1 to 4)
<>If Var(0004:rand) 1
. <> Message:Man: Hello, what a nice day this is.
.<>:End
<>If Var(0004:rand) 2
. <>Message:Man: I'm feeling constipated... (groan)
.<>:End

-------------------

And so on and so forth, making a message for each number.



However, this is never enough to make the interaction interesting.



-------------------

-Have the NPC say a different thing each day! Or sometimes not even there!

-------------------


=================

[Page1]

Event Conditions: If Var[####:day] = 1
<>Message:Man: Hello, what a nice day this is.

Then, for each day, make a new page and increase the condition variable by one...

[Page2]

Condition: Var[####:day] = 2

Message:Man: Ahh.. I love the smell of outdoors.

[Page3]

Condition: Var[####:day] = 3

No graphic (maybe he's not there that day, or he's dead...make stuff up!)


=================

And so on for each day...

-------------------

3-Have the NPC get angry!

-------------------

This is a good way to have the player learn respect for others. Have the hero be able to choose 2 or more responses to an NPC, and code accordingly. For example:

=================

<>Message: *: Argh! I'm practicing my martial arts! Don't bother me!!
<>Show Choice: ORLY?/NO WAI!
. [ORLY?] Case
.  <>Message: ORLY?
.  <>Message: *: STFU NOOB.
.  <>Start Battle: Chuck Norris (YOU GET KILLED)
. <>End
. <>[NO WAI!] Case
.  <>Message: NO WAI!
.  <>Move Event: Hero-Move down
.  <>Move All
.  <>Message: *: YEA WAI.
.  <>Chng Item Count: Norris Boot 1 Add
.  <>Play SE: Success
.  <>Message:Recieved [item name]!
.  <>Message: F**K YEA SEAKING!
. <>End

=================

Now you see, having a choice in the conversation PLUS the possibility of either total annihilation or a free item is much better than having that unnamed character saying "I'm training!" over and over. Also, you could have them get angry if the hero bothers the NPC too much. To accomplish this use variables and branches:


=================

<>IF V[####:Angerman] is 1-4
. <>Message:Man: Go away!
. <>Change Variable: V[####:Angerman]+1
<>End

<>IF V[####:Angerman] 5 or more
. <>Message:Man: That's it! Get out of here!!!!
. <>Change Switch: Var[0008:kicked out] Switch ON
. <>Teleport:Hero-(Outside the house)
<>End

=================

In this case, when you talk to the man five times, the second branch will activate, and he'll throw you out of his house. Be creative, have him lock you out or something.

_________________________________

I can't really say much else. If you can't find "variable operations", it's on the first page in the event commands.

Initialize all your variables at the beginning of your game. The best way to do this is to put the event on your intro map and code it like so:

Variable Operation: V[####:day] set, 0
Variable Operation: V[####:Angerman] set, 0

and so on...