Complex event with multiple NPCs need help

[Zethian]

Hi. I'm a beginner with VX Ace. Basically, I want my player to pass over event tiles without them activating yet, be forced to turn back by other event tiles, and THEN for the first event to occur when the player steps on a certain tile. I can't figure out how to do this.


Then for the triggered event, I need an NPC to walk in from off screen. I can't figure out how to have an off-screen NPC triggered by the player stepping on a tile (the one that I didn't want to trigger initially). Then at the end of this event, I need the player to step backwards (which never seems to work when I use this command in an NPC event) onto the other event tile that wasn't initially supposed to trigger (trigger only after stepping back AFTER the previous event has taken place) and then for a second NPC to enter from off-screen.


In the image attached I've marked off some tiles where the events happen:


1&2 - identical events. They give a message and send the player back one space. (No other event on this map should trigger before this event has happened at least once).


3 - This is the tile the player needs to step on which will only trigger after having stepped on tiles 1 or 2 (or both, if they trigger those events more than once). When the player steps on this tile, NPC 1 needs to walk in from offscreen and then dialogue takes place. At the end of this sequence, the player steps back 1 square.


4 - When the player stands on this square after stepping back, and only after the previous two events have occurred, a second NPC then enters from off screen and more dialogue occurs. (then there will be a quick fade-out to add this second NPC as a follower).


Note: Events 3 and 4 should not re-occur ever, even when re-entering the room (only events 1 & 2 should remain after first triggered).


The only events I have set up are 1 and 2. I don't know how to go about doing the other events at all. I'm comfortable using events but this is complex for me as I'm just a beginner. Can anyone tell me how to make this work (even if I have to add in or change more events, it can be more than 4 or less if it needs to).


Thanks!

 

[Needle]

This is probably not as difficult as you think it is, and can be accomplished with a couple switches.

Make a switch and call it something descriptive. For the sake of this post I'll call it "EventHasOccurred"

For Events 1 & 2, write out the event as you see fit. The final command of the event should turn "EventHasOccurred" ON. (The switch is off by default.)

So let's go back to events 3 & 4. These events need to be conditional, so that they only happen after events 1 or 2 has occurred. On the left panel of the event processing page, there are a bunch of conditions you can use. One of them is switches. Select your "EventHasOccurred" switch in the conditions, so that the event will only occur if "EventHasOccurred" is ON. The only way this switch will be on is if it gets turned on by events 1 or 2, so therefore events 3 & 4 will be dormant until after 1 or 2 triggers first.

For event 4, you could do the same thing - have the final command of event 3 be a switch that turns on, say "Event3Occurred", and make event 4 conditional so that it can only happen when "Event3Occurred" is on.

Getting your NPCs to move is done through Set Move route commands in your events. In the Set Move Route panel, there's a drop down list that lets you choose which event to move. Name your NPC event something memorable, and then when you are working on your Set Move Route commands in EVents 3 & 4, pick that name from the drop down list, and move them to your heart's content!

 

[Andar]

At the end of this sequence, the player steps back 1 square. 4 - When the player stands on this square after stepping back, and only after the previous two events have occurred,

should the player have control and step back manually, or is that step back part of the previous event and commanded by that?
There is a big difference in that, because the most important lesson in making automatic cutscenes is that one cutscene is always controlled by a single event.


If a sequence happens automatically, then it is one cutscene - if the player can take control and go to other positions between two parts, then those are two cutscenes.


You should NEVER control the player to go on an event just to trigger that event - if there is something to be done after the player has been controlled to go there, then place the needed commands into the event that controlled the player up to that point, giving that event control of the other events when neccessary. The control in a cutscene should NEVER be moved to another event, it should always be that single event until the cutscene is over and the player regains control.


Doing it in any other way will only confuse everything and make the events more complex (and bugged) than neccessary.


And it looks like you're needing to learn how to use switches and variables - that's the basic requirement for anything more complex than a simple text message from an NPC. I suggest you follow the link in my signature to the tutorials and work through them, this will speed up your game making a lot.

 

[Zethian]

Thank you both, I have nearly all the event running fine now, apart from the very end. Just one last (noobish) question, how do I change / add followers? I had a follower in an earlier scene, and when they left I set followers to showing off. How do I change my follower, and get it to show them once the screen fades back in from the end of this event?


Thanks again.

 

[Andar]

Thank you both, I have nearly all the event running fine now, apart from the very end. Just one last (noobish) question, how do I change / add followers? I had a follower in an earlier scene, and when they left I set followers to showing off. How do I change my follower, and get it to show them once the screen fades back in from the end of this event? Thanks again.

Event commands.
Your followers are the first party members, so you need to add party members (Change member command) to have them. If you have a party, then you can display the followers or not depending on the event command followers ON/OFF-

 

[Zethian]

How do I change who the followers are at different points?


I need the followers off to begin with, and then for them to join / be shown as following after this event. I just can't figure out how. If I set an event in the first room for followers to be off, every time I go back they disappear. I can't figure out how to have no followers in room 1, and then gain followers in room 2, but for them to not disappear going back into room 1.


Also, is there any way to switch / change followers as the story progresses? So that follower A leaves or is killed (etc) and later follower B is picked up?


Sorry if these are all obvious questions.

 

[Andar]

I really suggest that you take about a month to work through the tutorials before continuing working on your game, that will speed things up for you later.


As you realised, simple commands placed in events will always be executed. If you do not want them executed always, then you need to place conditions on them - and to use conditions, you'll need switches and variables.


In this specific case, many developers use variables to count the steps in the story, and condition events to be executed when the story-count reaches certain numbers.


And for such controls as you described, you usually don't use map events, you use common events (which are executed independent of the current maps)