Drakkonis

Drakkonis

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  • Drakkonis
    Contemplating an old idea I once had about a fantasy world where elemental manipulation was possible, but combat uses required... creativity. Kinda like ATLA, but far more restricted, with a lot of physics-related realism driving what was possible.
    Drakkonis
    I think I finally found a use for a generator function. Was trying to figure out a practical use for them ever since I discovered them.
    • Like
    • Wow
    Reactions: Ronyunderen, Nenen and Alador
    Nenen
    Nenen
    I'm curious what it is, and which generator you're referring to at that.
    Drakkonis
    Drakkonis
    @Nenen Javascript generator function. Really weird thing. I made one to handle essentially randomly reorganizing the contents of an array without nested loops and extra checks. It cuts down some lines of code, though my current use didn't have a lot of extra lines anyway. I'm currently using it to shuffle a deck of cards. lol
    • Like
    Reactions: Nenen
    Drakkonis
    Drakkonis
    To clarify, just in case, it's not "a function I made to automate a task", even though that IS what it does. It's a generator function, an obscure javascript feature I recently discovered.
    • Like
    Reactions: Nenen
    Drakkonis
    Step 1: Begin new plugin.
    Step 2: Listen to coding videos on Youtube during the daily commute.
    Step 3: Learn a new concept you are inspired to try for yourself.
    Step 4: Get inspired to make a new plugin because of the new concept.
    Step 5: Repeat.
    Step 6: ???

    I seem to be stuck in an infinite loop. lol
    Drakkonis
    Finally solved a compatibility issue with one of the earliest plugins I tried to get compatible with RETRO (the one that didn't crash but didn't appear to work either). Now I just need to figure out how to make the fix a general one instead of the patchy hack it currently is.
    Drakkonis
    There's been a sneaky update to RETRO. Nothing major, just addressing two bugs I was made aware of. Most likely a good idea to grab it if you're using RETRO, or plugin commands are likely to bug out when deployed.
    Drakkonis
    Hm... thinking about adding a plugin command for event-style switch statements. That would cut down on all the nested conditional branches such a structure currently requires.
    gstv87
    gstv87
    Code: 
    begin
[var] U [control1] == true? -> goto "label"
[var] U [control2] == true? -> goto "another label"
[var] U [control3] == true? -> etc.
goto "label else"
end
    evaluate 1 -> valid? -> go to.
    evaluate 2 -> valid? -> go somewhere else.
    reach here, all the above is invalid, then go somewhere else.

    no nesting, no nothing.
    Drakkonis
    Drakkonis
    For the event that prompted the thought, that layout would have quickly become a mess that would be a pain for me to follow when something inevitably went wrong, which is part of why I prefer coding when and where possible. Less jumping. :)
    Drakkonis
    Drakkonis
    And the plugin command I ended up developing does work as desired with relatively little code, but it also has a few caveats. First, it assumes the user isn't going to be comparing numbers to non-numbers (no error checking yet). Second, each branch requires a separate common event to run if its condition tests true.
    Drakkonis
    Oh FFS.... how did I break the engine THIS time?!
    Drakkonis
    Drakkonis
    Found it! I managed to break the game interpreter because I didn't notice that the function required a return. I accidentally stuck the thing into an infinite loop of doing the same command forever because my overwrite never told the interpreter that it was done. lol
    Trihan
    Trihan
    If it's any consolation I spent about 10 minutes yesterday wondering why my plugin was crashing on the choice window's select function before I realised I hadn't passed "this" as the first argument to the alias call.
    Drakkonis
    Drakkonis
    @Trihan I'm honestly surprised I HAVEN'T done that yet... especially given that I just came back from a long break and had to practically relearn JS again. lol
    Drakkonis
    Maybe one of these days I'll remember that there's a prefix selection that is required for most of my forum posts. lol
    Drakkonis
    Apparently I missed my forum-birthday. Can't believe I joined over a year ago. But since I now track the passage of time via my daughter's age and milestones, it's VERY believable, I just slept through most of it when I wasn't chasing her all over the place. lol
    Drakkonis
    I think I've figured out what my next plugin is gonna be. The lack of variability in event command parameters without using a mountain of conditional branches is annoying the crap out of me. I need to fix it. I think this will be the first plugin I make that is born from me actually trying to use the engine, not just making something just to make it. lol
    Drakkonis
    I think it would be cool if I could see the exact code equivalent of any given event command in real-time. I could bypass most of the event commands and just code the stuff I wanted the WAY I wanted without having to hunt it all down. lol
    View previous comments…
    Trihan
    Trihan
    Ah, I see. Yeah, ultimately if you were going that in depth with it you'd probably be at a point where you'd be better off using another engine.
    gstv87
    gstv87
    @Drakkonis I believe I achieved that once, after some serious rewiring... printing the function being accessed, on demand.
    I can't remember how I did it, but I got there digging through the code and I believe it is used in the engine at least once. I came up with it by trial and error, but it's possible.
    Drakkonis
    Drakkonis
    @Trihan I'm not going into that kind of depth EVERYWHERE, just for some of the more complex stuff. Currently I'm doing a hybrid of event commands and dedicated functions in a one-off plugin. It's not that I CAN'T use event commands, it's that it's not as... customizable as I might need and could achieve via code.
    Drakkonis
    Got a music making program in that bundle, too. I seem to have accidentally made something cool. I think it's gonna be my title theme. For reference... my musical skills are on par with my graphical skills. That is to say... what skills? lol
    Drakkonis
    Ok, I'm kinda jealous that VX has script-editing functionality INSIDE the editor, where MZ does not. Tweaking my code for my project would be a lot simpler that way. (I primarily work on a laptop on the go so switching windows to another program so frequently is a little annoying.)
    View previous comments…
    TheoAllen
    TheoAllen
    In the another hand, working script externally enables a lot of QoL such as enable dark mode in your editor (very important), better global search, intellisense (auto complete), line bookmarks, and bigger screen to write.
    TheoAllen
    TheoAllen
    Oh also, I've been a laptop user for as long as 13 years (never have an actual desktop PC during those years, and I choose not to), I'm used to it.
    Drakkonis
    Drakkonis
    @TheoAllen I actually started using MZ on my desktop. Bought a laptop specifically so I could work on the project I was doing at the time in another room while my daughter was sleeping. The desktop was fairly old and even the slightest bit of work started a jet engine. Unfortunately now the laptop's keyboard is having intermittent issues. lol
    Drakkonis
    Feeling like I'm hitting a brick wall with my head trying to figure out a good way to optimize my light/vision system. Trying to get rid of certain elements that are firing whether I need them that round or not. But finding the best way to properly flag that is stubbornly eluding me.
    Drakkonis
    I'm both amused and annoyed that I find it easier to code something semi-complex than to event it. On the one hand, I get as much control as I want/need, and possibly a tiny performance boost since I'm not limited to the UI or the interpreter code. On the other hand... I'm writing a plugin file for my game mechanics, which will ONLY be in this game... lol
    Drakkonis
    I've started making my first minigame, through eventing only. Went to modify the SV sprites for use in it, picked 3 frames I wanted, put them together... now in game it looks like that character is doing some weird dance with excessive hip thrusts. She's supposed to be pulling on a rope. lol
    • Haha
    Reactions: kirbwarrior, Finnuval and Kirri
    Kirri
    Kirri
    Sadly, I can relate
    Finnuval
    Finnuval
    Excessive hip thrust dancing... Well depending on the game you're making it could be useful xD
    • Haha
    Reactions: Kirri
    Drakkonis
    Drakkonis
    @Finnuval Funny thing is, the character in question is anti-social and super serious... at least at this point. I find it hilarious she apparently decided to start dancing so provocatively while her teammate is at the bottom of a pit. lol
    Drakkonis
    Being a DM for D&D is kinda like crowdsourcing characters and plot elements for a game. lol
    • Like
    Reactions: HOLYMOTHER and Eusong
    Eusong
    Eusong
    The first DM I played with said he was going to turn our campaign's story into a game. I wonder what came of it? It was really fun to play.
    Drakkonis
    Drakkonis
    @Eusong That's actually exactly what I'm doing. It's the 5e starter adventure, nothing too special on its own, but I've added elements to correspond to each character's personal stories and backgrounds. That, plus the base adventure, plus the shenanigans that eventually occur, are the perfect fodder.
    Drakkonis
    Almost posted a noobish question thread. Then had a "duh" moment, spent about 30 seconds on a quick test, and answered my own question. Apparently it's time to recharge the brain juices. lol
    Drakkonis
    Made my first purchase of RPG Maker assets today. Finally broke down and did it. Sale price was good and they look GORGEOUS. Kind of a shame that most packs like that are for styles I either personally don't like, or don't need for really any style of game I'm working on. So finding the two I got was a stroke of luck. lol
    • Love
    Reactions: pawsplay
    View previous comments…
    Drakkonis
    Drakkonis
    @pawsplay Well, I'd been fighting with trying to cobble together something that worked better for me than some of the default stuff. Even made something that looked halfway decent... but couldn't get the edited file to play nice. It's so much easier to use something that someone who actually knows this stuff made.
    Drakkonis
    Drakkonis
    And the stuff was on sale, 60% off. So it was kind of a now-or-never thing too. Having to COMPLETELY redo my maps from scratch, since a 1-1 tile swap isn't possible, but already it's SO WORTH IT.
    pawsplay
    pawsplay
    I do have some nice assets, but just what I need.
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